For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the day largely went according to plan, with the team taking control of the peloton throughout the stage. In the finale, everything came down to a bunch sprint, where Brennan found himself boxed in. As a result, the young Brit was unable to fully launch his sprint and eventually crossed the line in eleventh place.

Brennan reflected on the hectic finale afterward: “It was actually quite a calm day, but usually that means it’s full gas at the end. I chose to go on the left side and was around the top ten heading into the final corner, but unfortunately the door closed in front of me. These kinds of things happen in a sprint. It’s frustrating that it went this way today because I was feeling really good.”

Despite missing out on a top result, sports director Robert Wagner was satisfied with the collective effort from the team in the nervous finale. “Matthew got boxed in today, so he never really got the chance to sprint,” Wagner explained. “But we saw a very strong and committed team during the local and hectic laps. Especially our young Development Team rider Ashlin Barry; he did exactly what we asked from him by entering the final corner in first position.”

Within the team, confidence remains high heading into the upcoming stages. Tomorrow brings a demanding hilly stage of no less than 215 kilometers