So... none of the favourites won, as it ended in a (sort of) mass finish, and they had expended their strengths earlier, either at the front of the race or the front of the peloton.

In the climb/sprint, we could believe at some point that Total would score its second victory in a day, as Burgaudeau🇫🇷 had created a small gap and was maintaining it, but there are still those several hundred straight metres to go after the curves. Then we saw a group of at least 3 Caja Rural appear from nowhere, but finally several stronger men fought for the actual victory.

Grégoire (🇫🇷 FDJ) is 'only' 4^th^, but he had been in the breakaway for a long time. Had he stayed in the peloton, he could have won. One may say the same thing about Cosnefroy (🇫🇷 UAE): same bet/option, same result. The peloton never gave up today, even when that meant using guys like Baudin (🇫🇷 EF) and Schmid (🇨🇭 Jayco) to pull the bunch. I read that both Wellens (🇧🇪 UAE) and F. Vermeersch (🇧🇪 UAE) also pulled the peloton in a part I missed, so most of my list of favourites acted as domestiques 😆

Caja Rural scores a great many points, with the 5^th^, 8^th^, 10^th^ and 12^th^ places!

Venturini (🇫🇷 Unibet) refused to relay, once he was in a trio who detached from the front of the peloton in a climb, forcing his teammate who had just been dropped from the breakaway to pull the peloton instead. Perhaps not the best choice, as he finished only 20^th^.

The surprise winner of the day is Anders Foldager (🇩🇰 Jayco). A surprise for me anyway; but it is certainly the best result in his young career.

Baudin (🇫🇷 EF) was great in Basque Country (until the last day anyway). It might be his day, before Healy comes back on Amstel.

Uh... Healy (🇮🇪 EF) has since been removed from all the upcoming races, as a late consequence of his assault of an old lady just before the TT of the Basque Country Tour. Old lady >>> pro cyclist.