Greig Leach

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) managed on Mont Ventoux what he could not achieve on Stage 5 on the way into Le Lioran. Then he claimed the Maillot a Pois of the King of the Mountain, but finished second on the day. This time it was both the stage and the Polka Dot Jersey. After he and Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) had dropped each other several times, it was De Gendt who made the final move when it mattered most. Throwing his arms wide at the line that came six kilometers earlier than originally planned, he had little idea (nor did we) that his victory was about to be seriously upstaged.