Waerenskjold grateful for Van Poppel’s deviation from the line: "Otherwise he probably would have won too"

In the sprint, the big Norwegian couldn’t match Van Poppel, but in the end he was still declared the winner. “I saw the footage, and I think it was the right decision,” Waerenskjold said in the flash interview after the finish. “It’s not the way you want to win, because he was the strongest. But he didn’t hold his line. If he had, he probably would have won too.” A protesting Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) also had no chance to contest the win because of Van Poppel’s move.

The fact that Waerenskjold is still in the leader’s jersey is something of a small miracle. “It was extremely tough, mentally as well,” he admitted. “In the end I was alone, after getting great help from my teammates. Unfortunately they couldn’t stay with me on the hard climbs. I was waiting for the attacks, thinking: that’s it for me, it’s over. Then I’d just shift my focus to tomorrow. But luckily, the attacks never came. I was even able to pick up some bonus seconds. I’m really happy.”

With just one flat stage to go, the Norwegian powerhouse is confident he can finish the job. He holds a 10-second lead over second-placed Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). But the UAE squad and Visma | Lease a Bike may still have tricks up their sleeve. “Maybe they’ll try something crazy again, you never know. We have to stay focused, just like we did today. We knew it would be a tough stage. Tomorrow it’s all about not making stupid decisions, staying together as a team, and bringing the win home.”