Known for his good climbing skills and fast sprint, Thomas Sprengers (Topsport Vlaanderen) got close to a breakthrough win when he sprinted to third in the final stage of the Tour du Gevaudan.

"About 100 meters from the top of the Jalabert climb, I was behind," he told Directvelo. "I managed to get back during the descent and then I stayed quiet as I was the only rider from the team. I did my own sprint, I like these little sprints. Unfortunately, I was a little cooked in the last kilometer. I am still very happy with my weekend. I'm just disappointed to have punctured yesterday halfway up the final climb. I had a slow puncture and my tire was completely flat at the finish.

"My next race will be the Tour de Vendée and the last three races in Italy will be Milan-Turin, Giro dell'Emilia and GP Beghelli."