Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step): “I didn’t expect to make it to Madrid, to be honest. It’s my first Grand Tour and it was very hard, I suffered a lot. My first win was a relief, but this one is overwhelming. To make it to Madrid and win here, it takes me over the Moon. It’s like a dream come true. I wasn’t part of the elite before but now I think we can say I’m part of the top 10 sprinters in the World. It started when we entered the last 50 kilometres, to keep the break under control. We had to fight for position in the last kilometres. Max [Richeze] took a bit of slipstream when Trek passed us. With 700 metres to go, I looked behind and I saw Sam Bennett was in my wheel, and we all know he has a very good last kick so I waited for the last moment and I gave everything I had, I even threw my bike just to make sure. Next year, La Vuelta will start in the Netherlands, so I’d be happy to come back, even though it’s a very hard race. That’s our sport and that’s why we love it.”
