"I am so happy that Tim [Wellens] has won. He’s one of my best domestiques throughout the year. He works so hard in the classics, and during the training camps, and this month too for me to keep the Yellow Jersey. It was amazing to follow the last 45 kilometres of stage over the team radio as he was gaining time on his chasers. I am happier with his win than I feel when it’s me winning. He got an opportunity and he made the most of it. It's amazing.
The situation after the crash early in the stage was pretty weird. I knew Jonas [Vingegaaard] had been caught behind, so both me and Tim tried to calm things down for him and the rest of the guys to bridge back. The breakaway was being set up, and there were three Visma guys at the front. I was happy for one or two of them to go clear, but not all three of them - so I decided to always chase down the third guy. If I was Jonas, I wouldn’t be happy with how the team rode at that point. He is 2nd overall and has proven his worth time and again. Of course stage wins are nice, but the GC is important too.
Our main and only goal in this Tour de France is to keep this Yellow Jersey safe. There is not a specific stage that we have singled out to claim another stage victory. Jonas showed yesterday that he is racing at such a high level and we can expect him to attack us in the mountains.
The second week usually features the easier mountains, and is prone for breakaways to succeed. This year’s, though, has been the toughest I’ve ever ridden because of the conditions and the terrain. I’m happy with how things stand and the gaps are already big, but we can’t relax - there are seven days to go.
Rest day plans? Urska [Zigart] is coming to visit me, and I’m super happy about it. I hope I won’t have too many obligations other than an easy spin with the boys. I won’t even dream of Mont Ventoux, so I can keep some energy for the real thing."
