In the last thirty kilometres, the peloton was torn apart by the strong wind. On behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma, Kruijswijk and Van Aert were represented in the first group.

For Wout van Aert it is his fourth victory of the season. His triumph meant the fourth stage win of Jumbo-Visma in this Tour de France and the 39th victory of the season.

“I can’t believe it”, said Van Aert, still a rookie at World Tour level, about his stage victory in the Tour. “It’s not easy to win here. Over the past ten days I have experienced how great this race is. To win during my Tour debut is great. Today, everything falls into place for me. The fact that echelons were created, was not ideal for us. Both Dylan and George were not with us. Though it gave me an opportunity and I took it. I started the sprint from afar. Viviani came up strong, but in the end I could take the win. This shows how strong we are as a team. In addition to the team time trial, we’ve also won three sprints with three different riders. I hope it also gives Steven, our leader for the general classification, a boost.”