Matteo Trentin claimed the third Tour de France stage win of his career as the race leaders kept plenty in reserve for the upcoming make-or-break mountain stages.
The European champion from Italy was part of a breakaway group of more than 30 riders that left behind the peloton in the early stages of the 200-kilometer 17th stage.
Trentin, 29, was the man most likely to win long before the finish, and he delivered for Mitchelton-Scott, riding solo in the closing stages after pulling clear of Kasper Asgreen, who took second for Deceuninck-Quick Step, with CCC's Greg van Avermaet third.
Wednesday was the day the riders arrived in the Alps, traveling from beneath the spectacular Pont du Gard aqueduct near Nimes and heading eastward to an altogether more mountainous setting at the finish in Gap.
It was a taster day, one for the riders with an eye on glory in Paris on Sunday to acclimatize to their new surroundings, skirting by several rugged peaks without being called on to take on any daunting ascents.
What it amounted to at the business end of the general classification was that nothing changed. France's Julian Alaphilippe remained in the yellow jersey, with no challenges from his rivals as riders in the peloton effectively rested their legs.
Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) retained an overall lead of one minute and 35 seconds over Britain's defending champion Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS) and 1:47 over Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk.
France's Thibaut Pinot, strongly fancied by many to come through and win the Tour, remained fourth at 1:50.
The yellow jersey had never changed hands in 23 previous stages ending in Gap, which last hosted a finish in 2015, and predictably that trend continued.
Thomas is hoping Alaphilippe's remarkable effort so far will take its toll in the mountains, saying: "You'd think he'd be starting to get tired now. Teams will be thinking to try to make it hard all day. It'll be interesting. It's three big, big days now, and I think a lot can happen."
Trentin added to his stage wins from the 2013 and '14 Tours and moved up to 34th overall this year. He said on ITV4: "It was really an emotional finish because I've only won two races in my whole career alone."
STAGE RESULT
1. Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) 4:21:36
2. Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:37
3. Greg van Avermaet (CCC) +0:41
4. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) +0:41
5. Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) +0:41
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) 69:39:16
2. Geraint Thomas (INEOS) +1:35
3. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) +1:47
Points Classification
1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 309
2. Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quick Step) 224
3. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) 203
King of the Mountains
1. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 64
2. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 50
3. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) 38
WHAT'S NEXT?
The competitors have had an initial taste of the Alps, but Thursday's ride is the first major Alpine stage and could prove punishing for anyone flagging. Stage 18 takes the riders up three peaks - Vars, Izoard and Galibier - that each rise 2,000 metres above sea level. A brutal test awaits.
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