"On an urban circuit like this one through the streets of Madrid, the positioning is crucial. That's why I never quit the forefront of the peloton after we arrived on the local laps. In the final two laps I was concentrated on following Julius Johansen and Boy van Poppel. They guided me first through the last corner and thanks to the final effort of Boy I was in the slipstream of the breakaway with 350 meter to go. Everything worked out like we planned. Our intention was to launch the sprint ourselves so I could fully use my speed on this slightly uphill finish. In the end, I was close to the highly desired stage win in a Grand Tour by finishing fourth behind three survivors of the breakaway. This gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season and the years to come. I'm very happy to conclude my first Grand Tour in this way."
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