Michael Matthews: “My wife kept me motivated”

“It's unbelievable. I was just sinking in. I was close to giving in at this race after I had two bad crashes two and one years ago. This time around, I've crashed three times already. I thought maybe this race is not for me but my wife came during the rest day. We had a good talk. She kept me motivated and today my dream comes true. It was never the plan to go for a breakaway today. We wanted a bunch sprint finish but we're such a strong group of guys. Durbridge and Impey gave me everything to win today. I have no word to describe what they did for me. They did a special job. At the top of the climb [Port d'Envalira], with Sagan and Nibali, I wasn't sure of what was going to happen but I heard on the radio that Luke Durbridge and Daryl Impey were coming across and it made me believe that I could win the stage. Luke rode in the crosswinds, he split the break in two pieces. We still kept guys in the finale that would be hard to beat so Impey attacked and let me out. I couldn't ask for more from them. They would have been disappointed if I hadn't won but today I did. I'm delighted. Me and Sagan, we've had a lot of head to head. At the Tour de Suisse, he beat me twice. I knew he was the man to beat today. He was the strongest of the breakaway for sure. He was always pulling. He never sat on. He did everything for the breakaway to succeed. He was the guy to follow. I was hoping I'd have the legs to follow him. At the Tour de Suisse, I didn't but it all came together well today. He often beat me before but today I got him, thanks to my team-mates. To win a Tour de France stage was the biggest goal of my season but it's not the end of the race yet. As a team, we'll try to go for more.”