Even before the start, there was bad news. Primoz Roglic did not get back on his bike for the fifteenth stage because of his earlier injuries. “To let my injuries heal, we decided I will not start today. I’m proud of my contribution to the current standings and I’m confident that the team will achieve its yellow and green ambitions. I want to thank everyone for their support.”

In the sweltering heat it seemed it would be a calm day until, in a short time, a lot went wrong for Team Jumbo-Visma. First, Kruijswijk was involved in a crash and the 35-year-old Dutchman was forced to give up. A few kilometres later, Vingegaard and Benoot also crashed, but they could continue their way. “It was a bad day for us”, Vingegaard said. “I’m okay. Tiesj fell in front of me and I couldn’t avoid him. This kind of incident is part of cycling, unfortunately. It’s really unfortunate Steven and Primoz crashed. They are essential teammates. After the rest day, we will do our best and keep fighting until Paris."

Van Aert had a lot to endure during the stage. The Belgian was in a front group of three in the early stages but dropped back.

After Kruijswijk’s crash, Van Aert returned to the peloton in the final and kept Vingegaard at the front. “We were told there was another demonstration”, Van Aert said. “I don’t know if it was because of that, but suddenly there was chaos in the peloton. When Steven crashed, I could only just avoid him. I waited, but it didn’t look good. Before I was back in the peloton, I saw all my teammates with Jonas. Those were hectic kilometres. We have to measure the damage and recover on the rest day.”

Van Aert eventually sprinted to second place, just behind Jasper Philipsen. “Jasper surprised me a bit in the inside corner. He did it smartly. I was in an excellent position, but he was too strong for me today.”