It had felt inevitable almost from the very beginning, from the moment the yellow-clad squad took control of the peloton on the flat roads leading into the two brutal final climbs. Tim Rex (what faces!), Victor Campenaerts (what pulls!), Timo Kielich and Bart Lemmen (what consistency!), and Davide Piganzoli (what a future!) picked up where a brilliant Sepp Kuss had left off on the roads to Piani di Pezzè the previous day, effortlessly slashing the advantage of both breakaways: the original move and the counterattack launched on the descent after the penultimate climb by Igor Arrieta and the equally promising Ludovico Crescioli.

In truth, Jonas Vingegaard barely even had to accelerate. He simply settled into his rhythm and that alone was enough to dismantle the resistance — legs understandably weary after 20 days of racing — of rivals whose ambitions were focused on the podium. Felix Gall, the only rider who briefly looked capable of following the wheel of the man from Hillerslev, held the front for several kilometres before being joined by Jai Hindley, who now looks set to stand beside him on the podium in Rome. Behind them, Derek Gee-West — who at times flirted with snatching fourth place from Thymen Arensman — was eventually brought back thanks to the million-dollar pulls of Egan Bernal, ensuring that everyone, except Jonas, ultimately came back together.