After a fast start, a lead group of 12 riders broke away. Steven Kruijswijk joined the chase on behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma, and a fierce battle ensued on the local circuit. Bouwman stayed out of the sprint for the bonification seconds and saw Søren Kragh Andersen triumph on the first pass. As a result, the 29-year-old Dutchman lost a place in the overall standings. Oomen then found himself in the lead group but lacked the power on the final climb to fight for the win. Tobias Halland Johannessen won the stage.

"We didn't expect Sam's group to stay in front”, sports director Maarten Wynants said. "It seemed evident that Team UAE would close the gap for the stage win. That didn't happen. We agreed beforehand that we would be in the attacks, and we did that well. Eighth place turned out to be the best possible result for Sam. All in all, last week went well. It's a shame we didn't win a stage, but we generally saw a strong team. Everyone got the maximum out of it in their own way, and with Koen, we are well-placed in the top ten. We have to be satisfied with that.”