"Winning in all three Grand Tours is a dream of every rider, and especially in the Tour. It’s also my first solo victory, and to do it in the Tour makes it even more special. It’s so many emotions.
We saw today as a chance to win from the breakaway. We played our cards correctly and I had super strong legs. I didn’t enjoy the final kilometres as mush as I would like to. I’ve never been in this situation before and with the noise of the crowds, it was quite difficult to hear in the radio. I knew I had about 30, 40 seconds and I just wanted to go to the finish line as quick as possible.
It’s been an up and down year, missing the Classics, and that’s why bouncing back in the Giro was super important for me. I came here to support Jasper [Philipsen] and then we lose him, so we shifted focus to Mathieu [van der Poel]. We had some incredible success at the start of the Tour and the team gave me the opportunity to win a third stage with a third rider, which is something unique also. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to start the Tour and now I repay them with a win.
The uphill start was super hard. In the finale, I knew Jorgenson and Wellens would look each other so I distanced myself from them. After the crash [with 22 km to go], there was gap, and Van den Broek went full. I closed that. And then him and Stewart look at each other. I went full for the last 16 km.
I’m gonna celebrate this one and enjoy the Champs Elysees tomorrow."
