Prior to the stage, Roglic was aware of the lurking danger. “It is important to stay out of trouble today”, he said. “The wind can play a role. We will have to be alert the whole day.”

The flat stage had a traditional course. Shortly after the start three Spanish riders broke away from the peloton. The three had a maximum lead of four minutes. Several teams in the peloton made sure the advantage wouldn’t get too big. Twenty kilometres from the finish the escapees’ plans were put to rest. The stage eventually ended in a bunch sprint.

“Fortunately, in hindsight, we can conclude that we got through this stage without any problems”, Roglic said. “In stages like this you always have to be careful not to run into damage. We can now focus on tomorrow’s stage. There is a chance that the approach, like today, will be nervous. I don’t know the final climb. It will soon become clear whether the climb suits me”, the Slovenian concluded.