"It was a gruelling day. Right from the start of the stage, I had no idea how the race was going – everything was in tatters. Today, I was completely drained by the finish. We also had Jakob [Omrzel], who’d stayed with Onley, and they made me stop. A very crazy race, a very tough stage… I couldn’t wait to reach the finish line. Without a doubt, Wout [van Aert] was a threat. If anyone could take the jersey off me, it was him. That’s why I always said that the points were never enough. Today, it actually scared me."
