Van Aert had attacked from the flag and led the break for most of the day, but in the final kilometres he was the one left driving the lead group alone while Johannessen shadowed him for free. That's the reverse of how a strong solo rider is supposed to be neutralized — normally he isolates others, not the other way around. Leknessund took the stage and five KOM points at Puerto de El Remolcador along the way, with Johannessen following through for second. A 1-2 built entirely on making the strongest rider in the group do all the work.