The peloton was in the mood to race today. "On the Jaizkibel, they were already riding very hard. I felt that Quickstep had something planned. Timo and Lennard did a great job to keep me in front”, Benoot said.

On the Erlaitz climb, Quickstep’s plan became clear. Remco Evenepoel attacked and swept to victory. "When Evenepoel attacked, I chose to ride my own pace. At the top, I waited for Mollema and Sivakov, so we had a good group”, the Belgian of Team Jumbo-Visma said.

Sports director Addy Engels had seen a good team and a good Benoot. "Until the race exploded, he had good support. From that moment, it was a man-to-man battle”, Engels concluded.

Benoot secured his podium spot on the final uphill metres. "First Yates couldn’t follow anymore, then Mollema. I rode to the top and could still catch up with Rodríguez, but Sivakov was too far away. I think I can be very proud of this third place. Now it's time to rest."

Engels watched Benoot's performance with admiration. "Very strong of Tiesj that he is still capable of this after the Tour. He kept believing in it. On the final climb, he managed to get back on the podium, which is quite something. This is an excellent result and a fair reflection of the race."