Greig Leach

With arms spread wide and fingers showing he was number one on the stage, Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) celebrates a sprint victory into Saint Paul Trois Chateaux. After the team’s disappointment of losing time against the new race leader, it was nice of their sprinter to give them something to celebrate. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was forced to start his sprint a bit too early, but held on to take second place on the stage. That placing was enough to earn him the Maillot Vert outright. While the color green changed, it still means that he is the most consistent sprinter in this year’s race. Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) in his Belgium National Champion jersey closed quickly but ran out of road to finish third. You can see Arne Marit (Intermache-Circus-Wanty) coming in eighth with his teammate just behind him.