After three brutal days in the Pyrenees, the peloton faced a so-called transitional stage today, with a rest day looming tomorrow. The route featured several climbs, making it a perfect day for attackers. Campenaerts and Van Aert seized the opportunity to go up the road.

With 30 kilometers remaining, Tim Wellens launched a sharp acceleration from a group of eight that included Campenaerts. The Belgian tried to follow but had no answer to his compatriot’s fierce attack. Wellens quickly built a gap of over a minute. Just as Van Aert rejoined Campenaerts’ group, the latter dug deep one more time to secure second place. Van Aert sprinted from the chase group to finish fourth.

“We had a plan today to get multiple riders in the break,” Campenaerts said afterward. “Luckily, that worked out. But it was a really hard day. Cycling in 2025 is so different compared to a few years ago. Nowadays, the finale starts more than 100 kilometers from the finish. Once we finally made it into the break, there was no time to recover.”

Campenaerts also praised the stage winner. “Tim played it smart and was very strong. When he went, we quickly realized we wouldn’t bring him back. Just as Wout made it back to our group, he told me in the radio to go for second place. That was the maximum for us today.”

“It was already a tough task just to make the right break,” Van Aert added. “In the end, it was a good situation having Victor there with me. I didn’t feel great at first, but it got better toward the end. I told the team it had to come from Victor today. I was surprised I could still rejoin the chasing group; that was a big effort. Second and fourth is a solid result, but of course we hoped to win. I wanted to give everything today, and I did. There are definitely more chances coming in the final week.”