"The last kilometer I was screaming for confirmation as fast as a minute and couldn't believe it. Two wins in the same Tour de France. I was speechless. I couldn't have dreamed of anything better.

"When the group was there, all the best riders in the world on the hills, I thought, 'How can I beat these guys? The moment came after he [Matteo Trentin] attacked hard. I thought if I could just make a small gap, they might look at each other. That was my luck

"For the rest of my life, this will be the memory of a lifetime. (Eurosport)

"It was a shame that the other players tried to beat people rather than trying to win. For me it wasn't much fun, I would rather have fought and lost in the sprint for first place than lose in the sprint for eighth place."

"The break was a split second. After the intermediate sprint, I decided to go for it because I knew that if I took (Sam) Bennett into the sprint, I wouldn't have much of a chance to win. So I said to Peter [Sagan], 'Let's go. He agreed, and Greg (Van Avermaert) came up to us and instantly we had a group. I think the whole peloton was very tired and the GC riders were thinking about tomorrow's time trial.

"I attacked first. Peter was pushing me. I was trying with Van Avermaert. I told him that everyone was a little on the edge. And then Claf Andersen picked the right time again. (EuroSport)

"I feel good. It was a good day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Normally I'd go for another reconnaissance tomorrow, but I've already done my checks. I'll check again tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is all up to me. The team did a great job. I have [the yellow jersey], but we've all worked for it."

"I'm still relaxed. So far so good. I just have to take care of the moment. I just have to do my job."

On the exclusion of Team Directeur Sportif and Merijn Zeeman: 'It's bad news for us. I wasn't there and I didn't see what was happening, so it's really difficult to comment on anything. (France Télévisions)

"I want to thank the team again. It was a really hard day and I think it was frustrating for the rest of the players. (Frobaix)

"I'm frustrated because I didn't come here to finish 30th or 35th. I was second in the Dauphiné and I wanted to do better here. But I am proud to have made it to the finish of the Tour [Paris], considering the injuries I sustained after the crash. I really had to fight." (France Télévisions) [21].