"There was a moment when I couldn’t believe what was happening myself. At the start of the stage, I was only thinking about the King of the Mountains jersey. Then, once we’d got past the first two mountain passes, that’s when I went for the stage win. It was really, really tough! I was up against two riders who’ve won Grand Tours, Sepp Kuss and Jai Hindley. Sepp, in particular, was a very tough nut to crack. I was pushing myself to the limit the whole time.
On the descent, I don’t know what happened. I just kept going and going, and then I found myself facing the final climb… which, once again, was incredibly tough. I knew Remco [Evenepoel] and Sepp were right behind me, and I had to suffer immensely to secure the win. It was absolutely brilliant to win here, and in a distinctive jersey. I think I deserve it, because I’ve fought so hard in this Tour de France.
It’s been a dream Tour de France. Back in Barcelona, I knew I wasn’t in contention for the general classification. I was very clear in my mind about what I wanted, and we’ve achieved it with these two stage wins and the King of the Mountains jersey. Tomorrow will be a different story. This Tour de France has been incredible, with all the spectators and all the support I’ve received from Ecuador, where they’ll be jumping for joy right now."
