With two stages to go, the Tour de France winner is ten seconds behind Jonathan Milan, who finished second behind stage winner Axel Laurance. Sports director Marc Reef was especially relieved that the riders made it to the finish unscathed. "The local lap was more than difficult, particularly in these circumstances", Reef referred to the heavy rain.

"Because everyone knew how important and dangerous the final section was, the teams began positioning themselves early. Lennard Hofstede and Milan Vader, in particular, did a good job for Jonas, who crossed the finish line unscathed. That gives me quite a bit of satisfaction."

Reef found it impressive how Vader, riding his first race since his serious accident in the Tour of the Basque Country, rode the race. "It's encouraging to see that he is not afraid of corners. He maintains his composure despite the circumstances, which was crucial today."

Although the gap in the general classification has increased slightly, Reef believed that Vingegaard still has a strong chance of winning. "At the moment, Milan is the man to beat. We'll strive to make tomorrow's race challenging. If we succeed at that, anything is possible."