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Heads Down Legs Churning
The stage ended with a false flat climb up to the finishing line making the sprint just that much harder. Add to that the bonus seconds for placing and it made for a very aggressive drive for the line that even the Yellow Jersey had to be part of. While the stage went to the fast charging Moreno Hofland (Team Belkin), Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) successfully defended his Maillot Jeune and John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) moved himself up into second overall. The finish was so tight there was no time for the traditional arms in the air victory salute.