Greig Leach

Using the descent from the previous climb, this trio left there fellow breakaway companions behind. When a break gets to be too big there can often be too many passengers (those who don't contribute to the work of breaking the wind). Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx Quickstep) looking grand in his Rainbow Jersey of the World Road Racing Champion, was joined by the KOM point seeking Georg Preidler (Giant Alpecin) and the Classics rider (who was doing amazing in the high mountains), Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL Jumbo). They were being given the time gap back to there former compatriots and the peloton by the LCL sponsored time keepers and the slate board tally. These three were putting time into all of the others as they started up the slopes of the Category 1 Port de Lers.