“I was expecting the stage to heat up after 100 kilometers, but it turned out to be chaotic from the start. We were lucky to have Adam [Yates] at the front, as it enabled us to take a bit of a rest day as a team. Coming into the last few kilometres, my teammates put me in a good position and kept me safe into the finish. I was not planning to contest the sprint, and when I saw how dangerous it was becoming I just took it easy to the line. I like the upcoming stages in the Pyrenees. Ahead of the Tour I didn’t know which specific climbs we were tackling, but now I’ve checked them and it’s all climbs I already know and like. The way we have raced in the last three days is going to affect how these two stages unfold, as we are racing hard every day. Anyway, the most important thing is that our shape is pretty good. It was sad to see Juan Ayuso having to withdraw from the race. He was not feeling well, but luckily everybody in the team is fine - it’s just him who is sick. It is a bit of a blow for us, as we were expecting him to be one of the key guys for the mountains. As a team, I believe we can be strong even with one guy less. Joao [Almeida] and Adam [Yates] are flying in the mountains, Pavel [Sivakov] and Marc [Soler] are performing great on all terrains, and Nils [Politt] and Tim [Wellens] are also very strong. I feel we are growing stronger and stronger every day.”
