“Just being here is special. I thought I might never come back to this race. Just thanks to the whole team. In the final kilometres we lost [Davide] Ballerini, who was due to launch my sprint, but then the green jersey and world champion [Julian Alaphilippe] put himself at my service. You see there what a team this is. So many people believes in me… When you come to DQS, with the best riders of the world, I knew it was going to be difficult to come here. I never ever want bad things to happen to other people… because it has happened to me before. Never give up. It’s a message for everyone who is going through a difficult situation. You can always come back. Never give up. That’s my message. Three weeks ago I wouldn’t even have dreamt of winning a stage like this. It takes a team like Deceuninck-Quick Step to make it. It is the best team of the world, the most professional one. It was so emotional to stand on the podium. When I was a kid, even before racing a bike myself, all I saw was the podium and the Tour de France. It’s been a whole life since I saw Chris Boardman crashing out in Ireland. To see circumstances taking that away for me was hard. It’s unbelievable to take it back.”
