Following last night’s prologue, in which Laporte finished a solid third, Wednesday’s stage marked the first road race of the week. With the start and finish in Ede, the riders completed three laps of a local circuit. Three riders attacked shortly after the start. Team Visma | Lease a Bike remained alert near the front of the peloton throughout the afternoon, keeping the breakaway on a short leash.

As a result, all eyes turned to the expected bunch sprint in the final. Laporte had already indicated that he wanted to contest the sprint. Team Visma | Lease a Bike had things well organized on the left side of the peloton, with Edoardo Affini and Filippo Fiorelli bringing their teammate Laporte toward the front. However, the Frenchman was unable to challenge for the win, as Merlier powered to a dominant victory.

“We wanted to compete for the win, but we also knew we had two fast rivals in Merlier and Groenewegen”, sports director Maarten Wynants says after the stage. “Everyone, of course, wanted to be first into the final corner. I think we executed our plan really well, but Merlier was simply much faster than everyone else. It’s disappointing that Christophe just missed out on the bonus seconds.”

There’s hardly any change at the top of the general classification. Laporte remains third, with Affini in tenth. Tomorrow, the riders will take on a 13.6-kilometer individual time trial in Tilburg. In the days that follow, there will be stages in Limburg, Drenthe, and Gelderland.