"It was a super hard day. The start of the Tour was not great for our team. But we stayed calm, like always. We have a very nice group here and we kept believing it will turn around. Maybe not today, maybe in the second week, or third week… But it’s really nice to go into the first rest day with a win.
I was for sure better than in the first few days. I had some difficulties to recover even from the easier days. Already in the last few days I felt a bit better. It was easier stages, and today I finally had the legs to go for it.
I was not so sure ahead of the final sprint. I had spent a lot of energy trying to keep the break alive. There was a lot of pressure from the bunch. The roads were horrible for a breakaway with a head wind the whole day. We really fought for it and I’m happy to finish it off. Maybe it’s a one-day festival for me… But at least it was a nice one!"
