The stage in and around Montecatini Terme consisted of nine local laps, with the climb to Vico being the main obstacle. Halfway through the race, the peloton made an extra loop over the climb to Goraiolo. Six riders formed the breakaway of the day. They were caught with ten kilometres to go and a sprint with the remainder of the bunch proved inevitable. Van Dijke and Bouwman sprinted to fifth and sixth place, respectively.

“Today’s aim was to sprint with Mick”, sports director Sierk Jan de Haan said. “It was not a foregone conclusion that he would survive the climbs because it was a tough stage. Fortunately he was able to make good use of the climbs. Due to the high tempo of some teams, the leaders could be caught in time. At the end of the stage it was important for us to position ourselves well. We succeeded at that. It was a dangerous final, but fortunately we came through it well as a team. Mick and Koen delivered an excellent performance. We’re pleased with that. Hopefully we can give this multi-day race a fitting end tomorrow.”