Six riders escaped early in the stage. They rode in front until the final climb but had to give in when the road started to go up. For Team Jumbo-Visma, Tom Dumoulin, Koen Bouwman and Harper were in the large group that rode together on the climb for a long time.

At seven kilometres from the finish, Dumoulin had to let the rest go. Moments later, Bouwman also had a hard time. Harper held on well in an elite group. When the favourites increased the pace again, a good three kilometres from the finish, he also had to let go. The Australian rode to tenth place in the stage result, resulting in thirteenth place in the final standings.

“Chris did a great job today”, explained sports director Frans Maassen. “We planned to stay with Chris and Tom for as long as possible. Chris felt fine and could last long with the best. If he had been a bit more cunning in the first mountain stage, we could have had a better final classification. He ended this race on a positive note. Tom has shown this week that he can touch a decent level, evidenced by his strong time trial. If he starts taking steps right away, things will go in the right direction for the rest of the season. Olav Kooij has been a revelation in recent days. It is very impressive that he is already able to mix with the best in the world at his age", concluded Maassen.