“It was a relatively quiet day”, sports director Maarten Wynants said. Yet there was hard racing, the Belgian had seen from the team car. “On the climb, the peloton kept riding. After that, the pace stayed high to reel in the breakaway group”, Wynants said.

“We were able to keep relatively calm. We wanted to recharge the battery wherever possible to prepare for the weekend”, the Belgian coach continued. “Then we will get plenty of opportunities. Shortly after, the time trial will is on the programme. We try to use every opportunity to regain time, so it’s also nice to have a day that allows us not to do too much work.”