“I wanted to break away this morning. Despite the head wind, I tried to enjoy my day at the front. I’ve had a bit of hopes when six riders tried to bridge the gap but it didn’t work out so I continued solo. This is my eighth Tour de France but I believe it’s my first solo breakaway. We are a team of friends. We had the ambition to fight for GC with Thibaut Pinot. We don’t have this goal anymore so we look for other ways to be motivated. We count on the nice mountain stages to try and win them.”
