Despite not being in his best form, Alexis Gougeard has taken the young rider's jersey in the Etoile de Besseges. He now tries to overcome the hilly stages to have a shot at the overall in the final time trial.

"The day went well," he told Directvelo. "I thought it was going to be worse. I managed my effort on the climbs. I had the team around me, it helped me. The guys came to me when I was struggling a bit. It feels good for the morale because I'm not at my best now. I did not do anything to get in the breaks, I mainly thought about taking care of myself. There is still tomorrow ... I will try to hang on before giving it my all in the time trial."

"We were very active at the begining of the race," his Ag2r sports director Stephane Goubert said. "But, on every attempt, Lotto Soudal and Trek had makes the efforts  to close the gap. The breakway was without us, it’s a  pity. Tomorrow, Mur de Laudun could make the difference. In my opinion, it’s our last chance to take a win this week. We will see."