From a rainy Padrón, the peloton set off on a challenging ride to A Coruña. Although there were no categorised climbs on the route, the terrain was constantly undulating. Two early breakaway riders built up a maximum lead of three and a half minutes, but failed to catch the peloton off guard.

In the difficult finale, the riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike were on the mark and showed their strength at the front. Marion Bunel took her chance when the peloton came to a standstill, but was given little room to manoeuvre. With two kilometres to go, Kerbaol launched the decisive attack. The Frenchwoman rode away from the peloton and soloed to the stage victory.

In the sprint behind, Van Dam secured third place. "I’m really happy with this. We rode very strongly as a team and stayed close together, especially when the hilly section began. It’s always nice when you look around in the final and see several teammates. That was very motivating."

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot agrees with her teammate. "I’m really happy for Sarah. We know how fast she is, but she’s starting to ride more and more like a champion. It’s lovely to see. The other girls did brilliantly today too. It didn’t result in a win just yet, but it is very promising."

In the general classification, Van Dam currently occupies fourth place and Ferrand-Prévot thirteenth. "I feel myself getting better and better. We haven’t had a long climb yet, but I can feel my legs getting stronger. That’s nice to see", concludes the Frenchwoman.