“I played my hand a bit early, because I knew in that group I wouldn’t be able to match Mike Woods and Neilson [Powless] I guess. I had to get away in a small group or solo. I ended up getting solo and I went all in. At the end, you just have to hope that they blow up. I gave it all but it wasn’t quite enough. To be honest the radio didn’t work the whole climb as the cars went around the corner at the bottom of the final climb. The only time gap I had was from the moto. 35’’ was the last gap I heard and I started to feel empty with 1km to go. Before I knew it, Mike was there and he was passing me. There was no hiding in these gradients. I’m happy with the risk I took, even if it didn’t pay off because my rivals were very strong. I had good legs today. That’s a positive sign for what is ahead, as there are many opportunities coming our way. Not having spectators around made the Puy de Dôme even harder. It felt like a training ride, almost. It was a weird, silent atmosphere.”
