The 145-kilometer stage from Hoogeveen to the Col du VAM was the queen stage of this year’s Eneco Tour. Along the way, the riders had to tackle the Col du VAM several times. A few cobbled sections in the first half of the race also made the course more challenging.

A five-man breakaway formed early in the race. The peloton kept the escapees’ advantage under control but failed to close the gap completely before the finale. Campenaerts looks back on today’s stage with satisfaction: “It was nice to see how we raced today. We always race in a very organised way and are fully committed to the team goal. It’s the first time that I’m the team goal, so that’s quite special.”

Up front, the breakaway riders managed to stay clear of the peloton. Behind the winner, Laporte sprinted to sixth place, twelve seconds behind Vercouillie. Campenaerts finished ninth in the same group of favourites, securing his leader’s jersey. “We wanted to win the stage with Christophe, but he wasn’t feeling entirely confident, so we gave the breakaway some room. The lead-out he then gave me to make sure nobody could pass us was really impressive,” Campenaerts said.

“Tomorrow will be hectic. Last year, it was full gas from start to finish. We’ll defend this leader’s jersey as best we can, and perhaps, if the stage is hard enough, we can still go for the win with Christophe,” the Belgian concluded. With just one stage remaining, Campenaerts continues to lead the general classification.