In the first part of the stage, despite a barrage of attacks, no one managed to break away from the peloton. Shortly after the first climb of the day, Van Empel decided to make a move along with Julie Van de Velde. The pair caught up with Loes Adegeest, who had also just slipped away. The gap never became substantial, but the trio held out until the very final moments, aided by strong teamwork, while the stage was marred by a massive crash in the peloton.

"I was hoping to make it into the break of the day," Van Empel said. "At first, it didn’t really come together, but fortunately, Julie and I managed it in the end. We worked well together as a trio, which allowed us to stay away for a long time. Unfortunately, none of us made it to the finish. Despite the chaos, I’m trying to enjoy this Tour de France, and so far, I think I am. It was a decent stage for our team today."

Riejanne Markus had a tough day yesterday, but the team leader said today’s ride was better. "Everything went according to plan today. The first hour was really intense. Then, a favorable situation developed for our team with Fem in the lead. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to the finish. Due to the chaos caused by the crash, Marianne Vos and I couldn’t reconnect with the lead group. That’s disappointing, but we’re mainly happy to have finished safely, which gives us confidence for the coming days," Markus stated.

Sports director Jan Boven was pleased to see his team bounce back after a challenging day yesterday. "I think we were sharp from the first minute today. We were always in the race and took responsibility. It was a tough race, but with Fem in the right breakaway, we were in a good position. The crash, which also involved Anna Henderson, forced us to regroup in the final phase. Today, I saw a team that made the race hard and fought for what it was worth."