A leading group of six riders, including stage winner Stefan Kung, coloured today’s stage. The breakaway riders were able to claim a maximum lead of four minutes. Team Jumbo-Visma controlled the race and kept the leading group within four minutes. Both Kruijswijk and Roglic were kept in the front all day.

“Today was a tough day. Not only in terms of the course itself, but also because of the harsh conditions”, director Jan Boven explained. “A strong leading group got away at the start. Kung was five minutes down in the GC, so we couldn’t allow them too much of a gap. In the beginning we went after them to keep them within three, four minutes. In the end, the sprint teams took over, but they lacked the confidence to take them back. The team positioned Primoz and Steven well in the front all day and they stayed out of trouble.”