Winner Skjelmose clung to Evenepoel's wheel, begging, “Please, please pull the climbs”

After the race, Skjelmose was still amazed that he had managed it. "No, I really can't believe it," he stumbled with red eyes during the flash interview. "I was telling Remco all the time that I was fucked. 'Please, pull the climbs, I'm on the limit.' I was riding for the podium; that would have been an amazing result. We kept riding to stay ahead of the group behind us. I sprinted for the best result but thought I would get cramps and see them disappear on the horizon."

However, that didn't happen. On the Cauberg, the trio slowly climbed up, turning it into a sprint. Evenepoel went first. "Remco did it perfectly. I left a gap and wanted to go right because the wind was coming from the left. But Remco went right, and Tadej too. So I had to go left. In the end, I have no idea what happened." Even after crossing the finish line, Skjelmose didn't want to celebrate. "I just couldn't believe it. I thought something had gone wrong."

It had not been a good year so far for the Danish GC rider, who crashed heavily in the second-to-last stage of Paris-Nice. "It means so much. I've had so much bad luck; it was mentally tough." However, the victory has extra special significance due to the tragic loss of the winner's family. He couldn't hold back the tears. "I lost my grandfather just over a month ago, and I wanted to give him a victory. So this one is for him," he said, visibly moved.