Tulett, winner of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, decided in consultation with the team to take some rest ahead of the upcoming Ardennes classics. As a result, he did not take to the start.

Zingle did start the stage but crashed after only a few kilometres. The Frenchman, currently in his first season with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, was unable to continue and opted to step into the team car.

Kelderman later comfortably maintained his place in the group of favourites, which finished just under two minutes behind Irish stage winner Ben Healy. With one stage remaining, Kelderman still holds sixth place in the general classification.

Sports director Jesper Mørkøv offered some context regarding the withdrawals of Tulett and Zingle. “Together with Ben, we decided it was best for him to step out of the race. He’s had a very strong spring so far, and we now want to give him some rest to ensure he’s in top shape for the Ardennes. That’s an important period for him”, the Dane explained.

“As for Axel, we don’t have any updates at the moment”, Mørkøv added. “He crashed early in the stage and couldn’t continue. We’ll have to wait and see how he’s doing. It’s too soon to say anything more definitive.”