Tyler Farrar won the night of Hengelo in the Netherlands, beating Kenny van Hummel in the dark hours. The 90km race didn't start until shortly before nine pm local time. Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso finished third in the race.
Basso tried a late attack, but was reeled back in by the sprinters. The Italian didn't regret coming back to the country where his winning Giro started, though. "I am getting the same feeling back as I had when the Giro started in Amsterdam," he told Telegraaf.nl.
"I remember the enthusiasm from the Dutch spectators. It was nice to come back and ride in pink on Dutch soil," the winner of the first Grand Tour of the year said. "I couldn't win, with all the fast men who were here," he noted about the sprint final.
Even with the fast pace and the late sunsets now, Farrar was likely to be glad to use the shades from his sponsors, as the race ended in the waning hours of Friday night.