Wout van Aert played an active role in the early part of the monster stage. In rainy conditions, the Belgian managed to get into a large breakaway group. Later in the stage, this allowed him to support his team leader Yates by setting the pace at the front of a reduced peloton.

Yates had already tested his rivals on the penultimate climb of the day. By that point, the group of favorites had been whittled down to about ten riders, thanks in part to Yates and his teammates. The real battle began on the final ascent, where Yates found himself in a select group with Del Toro, Derek Gee and Richard Carapaz.

It was Carapaz who launched an attack on one of the steepest sections of the climb to San Valentino. Yates, however, stayed calm and maintained a strong, steady tempo, keeping a close eye on Del Toro. The Mexican race leader was visibly suffering on Yates’ wheel, and a sharp acceleration from the Brit was enough to drop him. At the finish, Yates had gained nearly a minute on Del Toro, although he did concede some time to Carapaz and Gee.

“The conditions didn’t make things easy today”, Yates said after the stage. “The rain at the start turned it into a real battle of attrition. We had to stay alert the whole day. Thanks to the strong work of the team, we were always in a good position. Wout was also able to contribute late on, which was really helpful. I’m feeling good at the moment. Things are looking positive, and luckily I had good legs today. We’ll see how this all develops in the coming days.”

Sports director Marc Reef shed more light on the team’s strategy. “There was definitely a plan behind sending Wout into the break. It gave him the chance to support Simon later in the stage. Our original idea with Simon was to take a slightly more defensive approach, mainly to follow if the competition decided to go early. On the final climb, Wout helped set the pace one more time. During the stage, Simon told us he was feeling really good, and that showed on the climbs. We’ve strengthened our position again. We’re happy with how things are developing at the moment”, Reef concluded.