The queen stage took the riders to Hungary’s highest point. With the ascent of the Kékestető the peloton climbed to an altitude of almost one thousand metres. After several days of sprints with top ten finishes for Olav Kooij (seventh and fourth) and Mike Teunissen (second), it was up to the climbers today.

The start of the final climb was well digested by many riders. On the flanks of the Kékestető the yellow and black riders were able to keep up for a long time. However, when the percentages went up and the favourites started to attack, the men of the Dutch formation had to give in. Leemreize was able to keep up with the classification riders the longest.

Sports director Frans Maassen said that today’s stage did not quite go as planned. “After having our sprinter as the main pioneer in the past three days, Gijs was our leader today. The aim was to have him take a good position in the day’s results. Then we would automatically be high up in the general classification as well. Unfortunately Gijs did not have the legs to make a real breakaway today. That’s a pity. The focus now is on the final stage tomorrow. The plan is to sprint with Olav for the win.”