The 35-year-old Israel-Premier Tech rider clocked at 3hrs 13mins 35secs to edge The Netherlands’ Taco van der Hoorn and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen on the 157 kilometre stage.

Wout van Aert succeeded in remaining as the overall leader of the competition, despite the Belgian crashing at the 57km mark.

An estimated 20km of cobbles in the last 80km caused trouble for the riders with Britain’s Geraint Thomas crashing, Slovenia’s Primož Roglič falling behind and a puncture hampering Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard.

The leading group continued to shrink as Clarke, Van der Hoorn, Boasson Hagen, Denmark's Magnus Cort and the United States' Neilson Powless pushed ahead.

However, the final cobbled sector with five kilometres remaining affected Cort while Powless was overhauled with 400 metres left.

The trio battled during the final moments of the stage with the Australian coming out on top.

"I mean, after winter I had, I had no team and Israel-Premier Tech rang me up," Clarke said after the race.

"I was given that chance…

"Today is the reality check that everything can happen if you take the opportunity.

"The first few days of the Tour, I was looking after the team.

"But this morning, the team director said: 'Clarkey, today is a breakaway day!'

"The stages I won at La Vuelta and the pink jersey I had at the Giro all came in the first week of the race.

"So I thought today was maybe the day…

"But I still can’t believe it."