In the challenging final kilometers, Kelderman responded attentively several times to attacks from Jan Christen. The Dutchman held his ground during a series of accelerations and decided to launch his own attack in the last kilometer.

In the steep final stretch, Kelderman seemed on his way to a WorldTour victory, but the Belgian Nys had other plans. Kelderman didn't give up and fought his way to second place. Just behind him, Vingegaard secured the fourth place. As a result, the duo enters tomorrow's time trial in a strong position.

“Our goal this week is to aim for the general classification with Jonas,” sports director Maarten Wynants said after the race. “Today, we rode somewhat conservatively because we weren’t sure where we stood after our performance in San Sebastián last Saturday. However, both Jonas and Wilco showed good form. That’s why we decided to go for the stage win in the final. Wilco came very close. It was a bit disappointing that he narrowly missed out on a WorldTour victory, but the disappointment quickly turned into satisfaction. It was a more than positive day for us, and we’re now looking forward to tomorrow’s time trial.”