“We were expecting more crosswinds on this final day and therefore raced in the front as a team from the start. In this way, Mike Teunissen and I were able to escape with a strong group after one hour of racing. However, this perfect situation was completely turned upside down when Rudiger Selig crashed in front of me and I landed hard on my shoulder. By the time I got up, the peloton had already passed me, but despite the pain I was able to catch up. We had to sacrifice the whole team to close the gap with the breakaway, which unfortunately left us without our best forces to properly surround Gerben Thijssen towards the sprint. Just like yesterday, when I made a mistake by missing the first echelon, the team managed to turn a bad situation around. I want to thank all my teammates for the work they have done over the past few days to defend my yellow jersey. My next goal is Belgium Tour, with a particular focus on the opening time trial. My shoulder is giving me some cause for concern, but that won't stop me from enjoying this victory!”
