“Today the wind was strong at the start of the stage, then it weakened over the kilometres and at the end it almost became a day of rest. I stayed with Yves Lampaert, who fulfilled his mission perfectly by positioning me at the front of the peloton and keeping me safe from any problems. This was the job to do today. I think that tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will be days for breakaways, so it will be calmer for us. Then I will have to prioritise looking at those behind me in the general classification to keep my place on the podium, but I have a good margin on them. So I think I'll ride more defensively, and we'll see if it's possible to do something else. If the Tour could stop today, I would say ok.”
