“My goal in this breakaway today was to get as far as possible in the final. The collaboration with Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier was good, because we shared the same intention. When we still had a lead of almost four minutes with 40 kilometers to go, I believed it was possible to survive for a long time and join the best riders in the peloton in the final. I gave everything on Colle della Maddalena, because I knew that the first one on top would conquer the mountain jersey. I never thought about the stage win because my lead at the top was too small. If the cooperation in the group that caught me in the last 10 kilometers would have been better, eighth place would have been the best possible result. My performance today confirms the good feelings of recent weeks in racing and training. This mountain jersey is a fantastic start and brings hope for the rest of the Giro. I want to show a lot of great things and who knows, maybe realise my dream of winning a stage and completing the trilogy."
