The first Alpine stage was tipped as a good chance for the escapees. It was, therefore, not surprising that it took a long time before a leading group was established. In the final breakaway, Van Aert also managed to position himself well. The Belgian rode ahead all day and took twenty points for his green points jersey. On the final climb, Van Aert let go of his fellow escapees. Breakaway rider Bob Jungels won the stage.

Behind the stage winner, the general classification riders were watching each other and as a result, no significant differences emerged. Yellow jersey wearer Pogacar tried to escape just before the finish but saw an attentive Jonas Vingegaard in his wheel.

Together, the numbers one and two of the classification still managed to grab a few seconds on the chasers. Primoz Roglic maintained himself in the group of favourites and went into the rest day as the number eleven of the general classification.

For Van Aert, his day in the lead group was a surprise. "It was a tough day today. It was not my intention to be in the breakaway. When I saw that there were riders from our competitors in the break, I jumped after them. Unfortunately, I never had the legs to make a difference."

"It was a tough first week. I'm looking forward to the rest day", said Vingegaard, the number two overall rider. "I have mixed feelings after this week. The first stages went well. Unfortunately, we were unlucky on the cobblestone stage. We still have everything to fight for. There are still two weeks of racing to go."

Sports director Grischa Niermann also reflected on his riders' first week, "We can be satisfied so far. Wout won two stages and his battle for green looks good. The cobblestone stage was a bummer, but we will keep fighting. Jonas is in good shape. The rest day can help Primoz further recover from his injuries. He has fought his way through the stages in recent days. The Tour is far from over", Niermann said.