The final day of racing at Tirreno – Adriatico saw a stage of two halves, with the opening part of the day taking on some climbs before the traditional finish circuits in San Benedetto del Tronto. Rallying around each other well and showing fighting spirit, the four-rider Team dsm-firmenich PostNL squad set out to look after Casper van Uden throughout the day and set up the fast-man for the finish. It would be a fast day in the saddle as some teams looked to distance the sprinters on the hilly section and with a strong break up the road. The team managed to come through the day well and heading into the finale they brought Van Uden forward. However, it was a hectic and technical finish and the final duo of Degenkolb and Van Uden saw themselves blocked going through the final chicane and from there they couldn’t make it into a position to sprint.
After the stage Van Uden expressed: “It was a tough start today with the hilly course and I had two bike changes but the boys helped me perfectly to stay within the bunch when others dropped. Once the break was caught we moved up well but then in the last one and a half kilometres, John and I got stuck and never made it into a competitive position to go for a result.”