For Lennard Hofstede the race ended badly. The Dutchman crashed hard and broke his right ankle.

Immediately after the start, five riders formed the day's breakaway and gained a five-minute maximum lead in the flat part of the race. The race's second half contained twenty kilometres of cobbled sections and the peloton went for it. INEOS then accelerated on one of the cobbled sections, and again, five riders created a gap. The strong Roglic, last Sunday's overall winner in Paris-Nice, joined the leading group after a considerable effort. It seemed they would decide who would take the victory, but a depleted peloton decided otherwise.

"It was a special and difficult day, but it went well", Roglic said. "It's totally different, riding on cobblestones. I learned things I wasn't used to, like the nervousness before the cobbled sections. Positioning is essential, which also makes it dangerous. I am not dissatisfied with the final result, because the result was not the main goal for today."

Sports director Grischa Niermann praised Roglic's efforts. "We were here to test the guys and the equipment, and Primoz did a super job. We learned a lot concerning the cobbled stage in the Tour de France. Racing on cobblestones is different than reconnaissance. Jonas was without a chance after his puncture in the second local lap. Apart from Lennard's crash, we can reflect on today with satisfaction because we did what we came for. Today has made us much better with a view to the summer."