"We came close to a stage win, but Thymen Arensman was really strong today and he fully deserved this victory - hats off to him. We can be happy and satisfied with the Pyrenees. Today we did a super stage, riding at our own pace all day long with an incredible Nils Politt. It was a super hard day because of the weather and the climbs. Furthermore, the break didn’t go until the Tourmalet, and that meant the first 70 kilometers were super fast. Later on, the downhills were a bit scary - especially the Tourmalet.
Jonas [Vingegaard] tried today, and he was really good indeed. Actually, I was expecting him to attack a bit earlier. Once I shut down his two moves, I realized I didn’t have the firepower to counterattack and go all in to the finish. This is why I chose to control the stage, stay on his wheel and then sprint at the finish. We have had a few mountain stages already, and this is probably the strongest I’ve seen him in the Pyrenees. I’m sure he will keep attacking me in the Alps.
It’s sad that Remco Evenepoel had to quit the Tour. I don’t know what happened exactly to him, but we were talking yesterday about how he shouldn’t get carried away by all the media surrounding him and focus on the moment instead. In cycling, you never know how you are going to wake up - or, as a matter of fact, when you will be fighting for the Tour de France podium again. I send him my best regards and hope he will recover quickly."
