Visma | Lease a Bike and Vingegaard stay calm after Ayuso’s first small blow

Ayuso will likely have been frustrated that Vito Braet of Lotto-Intermarché took the full six bonus seconds when the race stayed together over 140.9 kilometres and no breakaway got clear. That left the intermediate sprint wide open. The Lidl-Trek rider reacted sharply and crossed second, which earned him six points in the points classification and four bonus seconds.

Braet took six seconds, while race leader Luke Lamperti kept the yellow jersey thanks in part to the two bonus seconds he collected on the road. Afterwards, the 23-year-old American said it would be special to start Tuesday’s team time trial as the final team on the road in yellow, adding that he wanted to enjoy wearing the jersey for another day.

Ayuso, for his part, was satisfied with what he gained. The Spaniard is now the best-placed general classification contender, sitting eight seconds behind Lamperti. “At first we thought the bonus seconds would probably go to the breakaway, but when the opportunity was there, the team positioned me perfectly,” Ayuso said. “I almost took six seconds, too, so it was close.”

Ayuso, for his part, was satisfied with what he gained. The Spaniard is now the best-placed general classification contender, sitting eight seconds behind Lamperti. “At first we thought the bonus seconds would probably go to the breakaway, but when the opportunity was there, the team positioned me perfectly,” Ayuso said. “I almost took six seconds, too, so it was close.”

After two days of racing, Vingegaard sits 12 seconds off the lead alongside most of the other GC contenders. In a team press release, Visma | Lease a Bike mainly stressed that it had been another stage safely ticked off, with Vingegaard kept out of trouble throughout. Sports director Marc Reef called it “a good day” and said the team had come through the stage well while saving energy for what comes next.

Reef was also relaxed about the missed bonus seconds. He explained that the team had deliberately chosen to stay near the back in order to conserve energy, and felt that decision had proved the right one in hindsight. The focus now shifts fully to Tuesday’s team time trial, which Visma | Lease a Bike see as a far more important moment in the race.

Vingegaard struck a similar tone afterwards. Speaking to Danish media, he made clear that he had no interest in getting caught up in the stress of the day and insisted that the race would not be decided by four seconds alone. With the team time trial up next, Visma | Lease a Bike are betting on patience rather than panic.