Due to wintry weather conditions, today's stage was shortened from 173km to 104km and the final climb moved to the 15.3 km long and 5.7 percent steep Madone d'Utelle. After the hopes set by BORA - hansgrohe weren’t fully reached so far, the team showed its strong side today. With a little less than 5km to the finish, Aleksandr Vlasov attacked on the final climb. The reduced group of favourites, which also included teammate Primož Roglič, initially let the BORA - hansgrohe rider go and he was able to extend his lead to around 20 seconds. Only then did the small chasing group react. However, Vlasov skillfully exploited the indecision of his pursuers to secure his first win of the season. In the sprint behind, Evenepoel finished second while Roglič took a strong third place. As a result of today’s racing, Roglič moves up to 6th in GC, while Vlasov now sits in 10th overall.
Result
01 A. Vlasov 2:44:03
02 R. Evenepoel +0:08
03 P. Roglič +0:08
From the Finish Line
"I am very happy to have won here. It's one of the most important WorldTour stage races. It's also my training area and I know the roads well. I’m just super happy. I felt good today and the plan was either to go for the win with Primoz or to follow attacks. But then a favourable moment presented itself and I decided to go for it. The conditions were tough with the rain and cold. I was freezing on the last two kilometres, especially on my arms, so it's nice to have taken the win and be rewarded for all that suffering!" - Aleksandr Vlasov
" Today’s stage was modified due to bad weather conditions, so the mountaintop finish at La Madone d'Utelle was new. The first part of the stage was twisting and tricky, so we decided to focus on riding in a good position and saving energy. It was clear that all the action would occur on the final climb, which it did. The idea was to ride up there as long as possible with Primoz on the wheels of the first riders, and to have Aleks there to anticipate any moves. In the end, Aleks attacked. He was brought back at first, but kept at it and then eventually went clear. It’s a well-deserved win for the entire team, which has been riding well together the whole week. Chapeau to Aleks and the team.” – Patxi Vila, Sports Director