Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal): “Everybody was expecting a bunch sprint. But I had a crash after the first rest day and since then I’ve had this stage in my mind. I knew that if I was feeling good I could surprise many riders and today I did it. I know Bystrom can have a strong sprint. It was a little bit uphill in the finale. With a 25 second gap with 2 kilometres to go, I stayed in the wheel. I waited, I waited. I wasn’t scared to lose, I was already happy to put on a show until the last kilometre. Everyone expected a massive sprint so if you see the breakaway still at the front it’s exciting. I only focused on the finish line and I went with 200 metres to go. The first time I won from a breakaway was Paris-Tours (in 2014) and I learned a lot from Thomas Voeckler on that day. I worked very hard to be selected for the Tour de France. I didn’t go there and then I worked for a stage win at La Vuelta and I get it. It’s fantastic.”
