A day after the massive crash that forced several riders to abandon the race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike was determined to do Vingegaard a favor. The Dane, who suffered a broken collarbone and several rib fractures, a pneumothorax and a bruised lung, had a good night in hospital and is doing well.

Without Vingegaard, the peloton set off for a 176-kilometer ride. On the hilly course, Sepp Kuss and Johannes Staune-Mittet, among others, showed their fighting spirit. Kuss tried together with young Isaac del Torro, but the two barely got any space.

Moments later, Staune-Mittet attempted to surprise the peloton with several fellow escapees, but the young Norwegian had to pay for his attack on the final passage of the Muniketagaina. In a sprint with a reduced peloton, Romain Gregoire took the stage win. Vader sprinted in the same group to a place just outside the top 20.

"It was quite a difficult day for me. Jonas' crash was still in my head," Vader said afterwards. "Nevertheless, I liked the fact that I was still able to compete in the final." Sports director Frans Maassen is proud of his team. "All our riders showed themselves today. I think that's really class, because the loss of Jonas hit hard."

Saturday marks the final stage of the Itzulia Basque Country. With seven categorized climbs, the queen stage promises to be a brutal one.