With less than 40km to go before the end of the Tour of Flanders, Norwegian powerhouse Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) was injured and eliminated from contention for the podium of the race he won in 2015. Final winner Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix) went up with world champions Julian Alaphilippe (Elegant Quick Step) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma).

The other highly motivated athletes knew that it would be very difficult to get these top riders back. A few kilometers later, Alaphilippe made contact with the race judge's bike and crashed. It was bad news for the world champion, but Christophe ended up being the only one from the chasing group to make the podium in Oudenaarde, Belgium, with Van der Pol and Van Aert.

"If I had been able to sign a contract for a third place finish before the race, I would have done so. Van der Pol, Van Aert, and Alaphilippe were on another level. None of the other racers could keep up. It was lucky for me, but unlucky for Quick Step and Alaphilippe. I'm happy because I barely made the podium," said Christophe with a big smile on his face.

"The race was different from other competitions, but not by much. The supporters were sad to see us go, but since this is the situation, we have to be happy that the race took place. Hopefully, the whole world can put this behind us and get back to normal life, but it may take another year.

After winning the opening stage of the Tour de France and donning the yellow jersey, Christophe set his sights on the cobbled classics. In Ghent-Wevelgem, he fell in the Kemelberg, and in Scheldeprij, he led a group sprint of his young teammate, Jasper Philipsen. With Paris-Roubaix cancelled, the Tour de Flanders was the only major objective left. In the Hill Zone, it became clear that Christophe would not be in contention for the win.

"In the Koppenberg I was in the second group. I was also suffering in the Steenbeekdries and finally there was an attack in the final section following the Teyenberg. I was at my limit, I was struggling and had no chance to stay with them. I always suffer at that point in every race, but I was not in a position to follow the lead group," Christophe said.

Shortly after passing Teyenberg, he saw Alaphilippe lying on the ground. I don't know what happened to Alaphilippe. Maybe he wasn't concentrating enough, maybe he was looking back. Things like that can happen. There is always the possibility of crashing, and in a group of three it is usually easier to be on the wheels than in the group," Christophe said.

With Alaphilippe gone, Christophe faced the challenge of staying in the chase group for third place.

"One moment the podium was gone and all of a sudden we were back in the game. I knew there was going to be an attack, so I wasn't really focused on the podium. But in the end the podium was still possible. The Quick Step riders attacked me all the way in the last kilometer, but I was able to make it through. I had a really long sprint to catch Asgreen and sprinted for a chance at the podium. I went about 500 meters into the wind, but I needed to go early because otherwise I would have been fourth."

On Wednesday, Christophe will head to Bruges to start the Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne. It is a race that could end in a group sprint. 'Once I run De Panne, I'm done,' he said. I'm looking forward to the off-season. This was my last big goal and I have to be happy with the podium," Christophe said, and when asked about his off-season plans, he put things in perspective.

"It won't be long, because a new season starts soon," Christophe laughed. Christophe laughed.