"This was one stage I was terrified of. I’m emotional I got over it. I’m delighted I’m still on the race… But the worse part is there are many days like this to come. As much as I missed the Tour de France, I didn’t think of this mountain stages. In the last couple of years, watching the race on TV, I was a bit jealous that DQS always got someone dropped to take care of their sprinter while, in my last participation, I was left to my own devices. Today I could count on Tim [Declercq] and [Michael] Morkov to support me. I’m so humbled and physically broken."
