Tuesday’s Tour of the Alps action saw a rolling parcours but a route that didn’t feature the same difficulty of climbs as on Monday’s opening stage. It was an attacking start to the stage before a six rider group went clear, with all Team dsm-firmenich PostNL riders nestled safely in the bunch. As there was no immediate threat to the overall race lead, the break was allowed to gain a four minute advantage where it held steady. Coming into the last 30 kilometres the pace went out at the front of the peloton and it was clear those ahead would fight for the stage win. Behind, the team looked after each other well and Romain Bardet ultimately led the team home across the line in the peloton for tenth place on the day.
Speaking after the stage Chris Hamilton expressed: “It was a controlled day in the bunch, with the break staying away for the win. All of us focused on staying safe and then conserving energy for the three more difficult days to come and the expected GC battle. In the finale, Romain was also up there in the sprint too to get a nice tenth place, as here the race can come down to finish positions at the end of it.”