The third week of the Tour de France got underway in Gruissan. 189 kilometres later, the sprinters prepared for a final sprint opportunity in Nîmes. It was another long wait for a breakaway attempt. Only Frenchman Thomas Gachignard tried solo, but his attempt was reeled in far from the finish line. 

The run-up to the sprint was chaotic. The accumulation of roundabouts in the closing kilometres caused nervousness in the peloton. Van Aert and lead-out Christophe Laporte reached the final kilometre unscathed, but the Belgian had to launch his sprint from too far away. 

“I was well placed in Christophe's wheel in the final kilometres, but the roundabouts at the end were tricky”, Van Aert commented afterwards. “With the fight for positions one kilometre from the line, both Christophe and I lost momentum. At that point I was no longer in his wheel either. I started to sprint from far, but I didn't have the legs to have a chance of winning.” 

“I didn't feel fantastic in this heat”, he added. “Racing in high temperatures normally suits me, but not today. “The next two stages offer chances for me, but it will be two tough days. In any case, I will keep trying. The most important thing today was that everyone in the team reached the finish line safely.”