After the start signal in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the peloton set off for 177 almost flat kilometres. After a hesitant opening hour, Clément Russo and Mattéo Vercher formed the breakaway. Far from the finish line, the French duo was reeled in by the peloton, which was preparing for another mass sprint. With twenty kilometres to go, Christophe Laporte hit the asphalt, but the European champion was able to continue his way immediately. In the sprint, Cavendish eventually proved the fastest. He took a record-breaking 35th stage victory in the Tour de France.

Sports director Grischa Niermann saw his riders get through the stage without any problems. "All in all, it was a quiet day for us. A sprint stage always gets more hectic and nervous towards the final. There was Christophe's small crash, but fortunately he was able to continue his way. Our biggest goal after that was to get Jonas safely to the finish line. That worked out well."

Wout van Aert did not battle for the day's victory. He expressed his admiration for his British colleague after the stage. "I had always thought it was possible that Mark would succeed in setting the record. The sprint stages in the Tour these days have a quiet run-up followed by a fast final. He still has that in his legs. With all his experience, he knows better than anyone how to position himself in the peloton and he showed that again today. I have a lot of respect for him. I won nine Tour stages in my career, so I can certainly imagine how difficult it is to win 35 stages. He is a great champion."