Visma | Lease a Bike stayed out of trouble Monday, van Aert sees chances after recovery day: "Competing for stage win"

Tiesj Benoot was the first Visma | Lease a Bike rider to finish, coming in 66th in the stage results. The Killer Bees did not play a significant role, unlike the day before. Nevertheless, the team appears particularly pleased that all eight riders arrived safely at the finish in Dunkirk.

“We had headwind for most of the day, which created some nervousness in the bunch,” explained Head of Racing Grischa Niermann in a press release. “We also saw that in the finale as well, with the crashes. Today was a day where you could really only lose. Luckily, we didn't and we all crossed the finish line safely. It was another strong performance from the team,” he said with satisfaction.

The team had already announced that Wout van Aert would not be involved in the bunch sprint as he would rather focus on other goals. In hindsight, that was probably for the best, as there were some heavy crashes in the final. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) seemed to be the biggest victim, although Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) also hit the ground.

“In the final, we dropped back a little with the team,” Van Aert said after the race. “Overall, I was able to recover well today. Hopefully, I'll be a little better tomorrow and can compete for the stage win in the final.” On Tuesday, another punchy stage awaits in Rouen, where the Belgian will be eager to strike again.