“I had the illusion that I would win the stage but at the end I lacked strength. I gave everything I had, but this was a very difficult climb and the whole day had been raced at a fast pace. I'm absolutely exhausted. I can see Chris Froome on the trainer now but I can only think about rest. I thought he'd be less strong than he was but he produced a violent effort and just could not follow.
“I don't want to chose between a place on the podium or the white jersey – I want both. For now, I will defend the white jersey.”
