The short stage was raced in difficult weather conditions, with rain, cold temperatures, and slippery roads making for a very hectic day in the peloton. Brennan admitted it was one of the colder days on the bike, although he still compared it lightly to the conditions in the Giro: “It was a really cold and wet day today, but nothing compared to the Giro that I watched earlier today.”

The team had planned to control the race and make it hard from the beginning, but the wind direction made it difficult to create real splits in the peloton. As a result, a large group stayed together heading into the finale, and the stage eventually came down to a bunch sprint.
In the final kilometers, the riders executed their roles perfectly and delivered Brennan into an ideal position for the finish. The Brit then finished off the strong teamwork with an impressive sprint victory.

After the finish, Brennan reflected positively on how the team adapted to the changing race situation: “In the end we went for plan C, which was a sprint. The guys did a really strong job today. I’m happy to be back racing again and getting some race miles in my legs.”

The conditions made the stage not only difficult, but also dangerous. Several riders crashed on slippery sections of the course, including Tijmen Graat. Sports director Gaëtan Pons reacted with concern afterward: “Unfortunately Tijmen crashed today. We’ll assess tonight how serious it is and hopefully it’s nothing too bad.”
Pons was also pleased with the performance of the team and the victory close to home: “First stage win this week in my hometown area, so of course I’m really happy with that.”

Thanks to the victory, Brennan now leads the general classification, the young rider classification, and the points classification of the race.
Tomorrow’s stage is expected to be calmer, featuring a mostly flat 150 kilometer route. With very little climbing on the schedule, another bunch sprint is expected, giving the fast riders another opportunity to fight for the stage win.