"Monumental", "insane" and "never expected this": escapees (and Pogacar) marvel at Alaphilippe's masterpiece

Let's start with Quinten Hermans, the Alpecin-Deceuninck Belgian who finished third. He had to concede second place in a sprint against Jhonatan Narváez of INEOS Grenadiers. "It was very difficult for the peloton to control everything, so they let a large group go," the Flemish rider explained to Cycling Pro Net. "At some point, in such a large group, you have to create a selection. Otherwise, there's no cooperation and a lot of freeloaders. I think it worked out well, with a strong group of nine men. Unfortunately for us, Alaphilippe had already left by then. He really had good legs."

Michael Valgren, representing EF Education-EasyPost, was also part of the selection that emerged from the larger group but never saw Alaphilippe again. He finished fourth, also behind escapees Narváez and Hermans. "It was a fast day, and Alaphilippe's win was very impressive. In the group behind, we weren't going slow either, although in a group of more than thirty riders, it's always a question of who is in control. When the group got smaller, we worked well together. The final climb was brutal, just a bit too long and steep. I climb well, but against guys like Hermans and Narváez, you're talking about guys who are seven or eight kilos lighter. I tried my best, but it is what it is."

Remarkably, Alaphilippe attacked 120 kilometers out from the finish. Hermans also did not expect the two-time world champion to make it to the finish line. "I thought it was very early to go, especially since he went alone with Mirco Maestri. But hats off to him, it’s an extremely impressive performance." Hermans and Narváez eventually finished about thirty seconds behind the French winner. "For a long time I thought that it was still possible to catch up, because he wasn’t that far ahead of us. But Alaphilippe also went full throttle on the final climb. When we didn’t see him at the top anymore, I realized it would be very difficult."

For Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich PostNL), these were probably not the most enjoyable days on the bike, as he saw his compatriot and teammate Fabio Jakobsen drop out of the race. From the breakaway, the 24-year-old Dutchman sprinted to an impressive eighth place. "It was very tough, but I'm especially happy to be in the mix again," he told Iris Slappendel of Eurosport. "I felt better than in the past few days. It took a long time before the breakaway was established. Ultimately, it was an enormous group."

"It became a bit of a tactical game because the group was too large for healthy cooperation," Leemreize continued. "For Kevin (Vermaerke, ed.) and me, it was a matter of positioning ourselves as well as possible. Often when someone breaks away in a lead group, things come to a halt behind. That was also the case here. Once we took off, things did slow down. We were then at the front with eleven guys who had to fight it out. I was surprised that Alaphilippe took off so early, but even more surprised that we closed in on the two leaders so slowly. We were really riding hard because I was suffering. But they just stayed a minute ahead of us. They really delivered a very strong performance."

Matteo Trentin, the veteran of Tudor Pro Cycling Team, finished sixth, following which we saw him extensively embrace his former teammate Alaphilippe. Speaking to the Cycling Pro Net camera, he explained how tough the stage was, especially after a lightning-fast opening phase. "Many teams wanted to quickly join the breakaway, and I attacked at the right moment. At such a good moment that I rode for a long time with only one other rider at an average of 54 or 55 kilometers per hour. That cost me a lot of energy."

Trentin also spoke about his heartfelt hug with Alaphilippe. "Julian is first and foremost a friend. I saw him become a professional and raced with him for three years. We've always remained friends, and it's great to see such a champion make a comeback in this way after so many problems."

Tadej Pogacar, who calmly sat in the peloton in his pink jersey as others battled for the day’s win, agreed. "I’m very happy to see him win, especially the way he did. It was insane and monumental, but a great ride. Only great champions can win like that, so he deserved the victory."