Five riders formed a leading group and got a maximum advantage of four minutes. The sprinters’ teams easily kept the gap under control. At twenty kilometres from the finish, the escape had proven unsuccessful. On the wide roads, nothing stood in the way of a bunch sprint. Although Team Jumbo-Visma was well placed in the front in the final, Kooij did not get the chance to develop the proper speed in the chaotic sprint.

Sports director Frans Maassen spoke of a good warm-up. “Beforehand, there was a small threat of echelons. It turned out to be not so bad and then it was a countdown to the finish, leading into a tough sprint for everyone. It was chaotic, which made timing difficult. Unfortunately Olav didn’t get to sprint because he got boxed in. Today, our goal was that the GC riders would not lose time and Olav could sprint. The latter didn’t quite work out, but we’ll try to do better in the coming days. Tomorrow the next opportunity awaits.”