The Dutchman narrowly won a sprint in three-way photo-finish with overall leader Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen
145km to go: Still not much movement in the pack though Cort’s lead is whittled away a little, by a minute as the peloton speeds up when taking on that fourth-category climb. It’s over 50k to the next climb. Can he stay away? Possibly, though perhaps not probably. Yves Lampaert and Wout van Aert, the two men to wear the yellow jersey so far this year, are deep in discussion under the cover of the pack.
154km to go: The first mountains points checkpoint awaits, and there’s a hell of a racket being made by the home fans. “Magnus, Magnus,” they chant. It’s so busy out there, the fans filling the roads, lanes and byways, every possible space. The crowd seems as big as those you might find on Alpe D’Huez or the Champs-Élysées. Their man has a lead approaching 6’ 30”. He speeds up the Côte de Koldingvej, the first climb of the day. This is an incredible scene, with amazing noise. A Frenchman closing in on winning Le Tour itself would struggle to be greeted with such raptures. He takes the single point on offer, and he will leave Denmark with the polka-dot jersey.
