The Team Jumbo-Visma riders did a lot of leading work for Vingegaard during the day. For the majority of the race, Koen Bouwman, Robert Gesink, and Chris Harper - who completed his final race wearing the team's jersey - rode at the head of the pack.

"The guys worked hard", Vingegaard said. "For that, I'm grateful to them. At the beginning of the race, I felt good. I was confident I would have a strong finish because the legs were strong. But in the end, I failed when it mattered most. It was a tough day. To be honest, I don't know if I would have been able to keep up with the best until the end if I hadn't blown myself up in the chase after that crucial moment."

Tadej Pogacar took off in a reduced peloton with twenty kilometres remaining. Only Mikel Landa and Enric Mas joined him in the jump. "I missed a few percent. I tried to catch up and give everything, but I blew myself up. I had the option of riding much more defensively to sprint for fifth place, but I chose to play all or nothing and go for the win. I can conclude that I simply wasn't strong enough to contend for victory today. At the end of a fantastic season, that is not a disaster. I was focused on winning this race. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out like that", Vingegaard said.