The last stage on Hungarian soil offered little drama. Immediately after the start, three Italians formed the day's breakaway and got a five-minute lead. The peloton kept the margin within limits and reeled in the attackers with under thirty kilometres to go.

On the only climb of the day, Eenkhoorn attacked. Blue jersey wearer Rick Zabel went with the Giro debutant and together they battled for the mountain jersey points. Eenkhoorn won the sprint and scored five points, as many as Zabel. But because the German has a better position in the general classification, he can ride in blue again after the rest and travel day.

"If the opportunity arose, I wanted to go for it. It was not my idea, but Koen's. I was well-positioned, but unfortunately I got Zabel with me. I had hoped he would stay in the peloton so that I could take the jersey. It's a shame I didn't manage to get it."

After the climb, Eenkhoorn held on for a while, but he got caught back by a hungry peloton. The riders of Team Jumbo-Visma crossed the finish line in the same time as winner Mark Cavendish.

"Our goal was mainly to save energy”, sports director Marc Reef said. "It was a pretty quiet day with a fast final in which we protected our classification well."

After three stages in Hungary, the cycling caravan will travel to Italy tomorrow, where the Giro will resume on Tuesday. Reef is happy with how the first days went. "We have made a good start with our riders. In the first stage, Tom, Sam and Tobias crossed the finish line in the first part of the peloton and yesterday we had a strong time trial day."

"Of course we had hoped for victory, but we have to be satisfied with third place. We are among the first in the classification and are going to Italy with a good feeling."