Today's route traversed almost completely flat terrain from 's-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht. The 175.1km course briefly went over the Amerongse Berg before the fast men struck for the first time in this year's race. With a perfect leadout, the team placed Sam Bennett in position for the fast finish. After Pedersen took on the sprint first, Sam was launched by Danny van Poppel and was able to pull alongside the Dane in a neck-and-neck race to take the stage win.
Result
01 S. Bennett 3:49:34
02 M. Pedersen +0:00
03 T. Merlier +0:00
From the Finish Line
"Danny brought me to the front with a high pace, then he was ready for me to go, but I waited an extra second or so, and didn't know if I'd then be too slow. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure if I'd be able to go fast enough after that point, but it all worked out in the end. To win here is really nice. I knew I could win again at this race, but it was just a matter of time. Huge thanks to my teammates, who really did a strong job for me today, especially Danny who rode a really fantastic lead-out. I'm very proud that I was able to reward all their hard work with the win." - Sam Bennett
"It was a perfect day for us. We didn't quite know where Sam was at, but we kept saying that we have confidence in our sprinter and we brought the best sprinter we have. The guys really worked very well together and Sam's win was the perfect way to start off the race. It was extremely important for Sam and for the whole team to have such a good start to the Vuelta, and of course it really gives us a boost for the next few days. So, all in all, perfect teamwork was crowned with an incredibly strong sprint win today." - Bernhard Eisel, Sport Director