“I did the hardest thing, I stood at the approach to the bridge, then I went upwind sideways, where there was room, and it fell in front of my face. It was not a good luck story. We will have to check if the hip was broken or just a hematoma. It was quite long afterward, as I finished 20 km headwind along with three of my colleagues who also fell. We are even more protected behind the peloton. We consume a lot of energy at 3-4 and it will be difficult for us to continue our journey the next days. Although I could still see the edge when I lost my bike, I decided to avoid the big dive. He was able to reach the ground because of the high barriers. Although there could have been some fights, everyone was calmed down by the wind.
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(On the atmosphere). It was heavily armored because it is a country that enjoys cycling. We had to avoid the streets. The public must also be aware that they can wait for us on the side, but we use the entire road so it is very dangerous. Today there have been no accidents and I hope that there will not be until the end.
“It’s my first Tour start in four year without falling. I can’t hide my joy. Even though we had two crashes, one of which was for Ben (O’Connor), editor’s note It was very intense. The public doesn’t realize how fast we travel and that the road is actually closed to us. Today was a busy day with many spectators. I am glad that there were not more crashes. It was amazing that the train didn’t lose more today. The runners were extremely vigilant.
It was totally crazy. While being attentive, I saw what I was experiencing. It’s stressful and you have to be attentive to the road ahead. It almost felt like a pleasure to be able to walk this bridge without anyone else (laughs). If there had been a 3/4 tailwind on deck, it would have been carnage. It worked very well for us, thanks to the 3/4 face.
“Incredible,” as we call it in French. It’s been a long journey. People who know me well know the hardships I went through. I was in a good place up front and Morkov placed me in van Aert’s wheel. We almost touched Peter Sagan at the end. However, we both stayed on the bike and did not touch. I made it to the finish line in 150 meters. I am extremely happy.
“It was a joy to be able to wear the yellow jersey once in my entire life. It is van Aert today who endorses it. He deserves it, so hats off to him. Another stage win is enough to console us. It’s great news for the team. Although I was worried about not being able come back from my crash, I was ultimately able help the team in the final kilometers and complete the task that was assigned to me. Although it’s disappointing to lose the yellow jersey, the most important thing in life is winning.
