After a tough opening weekend, the sprinters saw a first opportunity today. From Novara, the complete peloton rode the first half of the race at a remarkably slow pace. Only after the first intermediate sprint, where Kooij took six points for the points classification, a group of around 20 riders continued their effort. Both Kooij - who was involved in a crash yesterday - and Christophe Laporte were present, but the attempt was nullified by the peloton with 40 kilometres to go.

There was a moment of panic in the peloton when the group was split into two pieces on a hill. Among others, white jersey Cian Uijtdebroeks ended up in the second bunch with several teammates. After a chase, all groups eventually merged again. A first bunch sprint in this Tour of Italy seemed inevitable. In the final kilometres, a short but treacherous ascent awaited the riders. On that hill, numbers one and two of the general classification - Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas - tried to surprise the sprinters' teams. Their attempt stranded in the final kilometre. In a chaotic sprint, Merlier eventually proved the fastest. Kooij got boxed in and had to stop pedaling several times. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike sprinter had to settle for sixth place.

“There was not enough space to launch my sprint”, Kooij responded afterwards. “I first tried it on the left hand side of the road, but I couldn't find a gap there. Then I tried over the right, but by then my speed was too low to go for the win. I am satisfied with how my feeling was on the bike today. Of course it wasn't perfect yet, which makes sense the day after a crash. I experienced little pain on the knee, so I hope that will improve further in the coming days.”

Uijtdebroeks retained the lead in the youth classification. He was satisfied after the stressful stage: “The difference between the relaxed opening hours and the subsequent accelerations was big. We rode hard in the chasing group to rejoin the bunch, which succeeded. Today, some guys were tasked with keeping Olav safely in the front, but luckily I was always well surrounded by my teammates as well. I am grateful that the guys repaired that situation for me. I am happy that I got through this stressful day safely. Furthermore, I enjoyed my first day as a jersey wearer in a Grand Tour immensely.”