Team Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge regretted the incidents during the race: “It is very unfortunate that such a decision is necessary to guarantee the safety of the riders. Everyone has the right to protest, but it should never put others in danger. As a team, we do our job by giving our best every day and fighting for victory. We expect the police and the race organisation to do their job in keeping the riders safe and ensuring a fair race. We once again urge all spectators to do everything possible to keep our riders safe.”  

The stage from and to Bilbao had been marked in advance by Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The riders faced seven categorised climbs in and around the Basque coastal city. Vingegaard started once again in the leader’s jersey and found a route well suited to his qualities.  

Team Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the peloton in the chase behind three early breakaways. Long before the finish, everything came back together. On the double ascent of the Alto del Vivero the pace was raised, but once more the Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders were alert. Victor Campenaerts did an excellent job in support of his leader, while Ben Tulett also proved his worth in the group of favourites.  

On the final climb Tom Pidcock attacked. He claimed six bonus seconds at the summit, while Vingegaard took four. In the end, Vingegaard and Pidcock reached the three-kilometre mark together, where the official times were recorded.  

“I wanted to win for my son, who is celebrating his birthday today,” said Vingegaard. “We worked hard all day, so of course it’s disappointing not to get the chance. I didn’t really feel unsafe at any point, but we did notice something was happening when we passed the finish the first time. After hearing about the neutralisation it was a bit difficult to regain focus, but soon after that Pidcock attacked. I reacted to his move and we decided to push on together. In the end we produced a very strong team performance. That’s what I will mainly remember from today.”  

“We’re left with mixed feelings,” added sports director Jesper Mørkøv. “We had clearly set our sights on this stage. It’s a pity we couldn’t fight for the victory, but given the scenes at the finish the decision was understandable. From a sporting perspective, I once again saw a strong Jonas today, excellently supported by his team. That gives us confidence for the rest of this race.”