Riders hence had the choice to not race for time, since they would not be taken into account for the GC. The stage win was still up for grabs however. Many strong figures made it clear that they aimed for a result; the likes of Michal Kwiatkowski and Wilco Kelderman headlined the top of the charts but other big figures began to arrive.
Xabier Mikel Azparren surprisingly dethroned Kelderman from the lead ahead of the last row of contenders,
Darren Rafferty followed, but Joshua Tarling immediately took the lead 42 seconds ahead of the previous rider.
A few riders made the effort to make it up to Tarling's time but unsuccessfully. Darren Rafferty and
Pablo Castrillo rode to second and third on the day; a strong result for both, but Tarling takes the first lead of the race.