On the day’s final climb, the peloton increased its pace. Thanks to Team Jumbo-Visma and other teams, some of the fastest riders could not keep up and had to let the peloton go. A sprint with a depleted peloton seemed inevitable.

Frenchman Rémi Cavagna tried to escape just before the final kilometre, but a strong effort from Christophe Laporte prevented Cavagna from doing so. Subsequently, Van Aert got in an ideal position. He started his sprint and a little later he won for the fourth time this year. Van Aert's win meant the sixteenth season victory for Team Jumbo-Visma, which had all its riders finish in the first group.

"I was well positioned”, Van Aert said. "After Christophe went to the limit to catch Cavagna, I chose the wheel of the Ineos guys. I was riding in an ideal position to deliver a good sprint. It wasn't easy to stay ahead of Ethan Hayter. I am thrilled with this victory. The team kept me in front all day. I felt good on the climbs, also because of the excellent teamwork. In the spring, I was not always satisfied with my sprint. I have put a lot of work into it in recent weeks. It gives a good feeling when it pays off immediately."

Van Aert has no intention of handing over the yellow leader's jersey easily. "Hopefully, I can keep the leader's jersey for a few days and then hand it over to Primoz. The upcoming stages suit me, so we'll see how far I can get. It's not a given, because the course is difficult every day. Today confirmed that we are on the right track concerning our Tour preparation. Hopefully we can continue that line in the coming days."