“You have just won in front of Mads Pedersen who beat you on the second stage of Paris-Nice last year, is this revenge?
It’s not really a revenge but just a great victory. We had some great battles in the sprint last year, we know that he is very strong in this type of final, he showed that he was already in good shape this season but I also had confidence in my state of form , in the end it’s always good to win against someone so strong.
This is already the tenth victory for Visma-Lease a bike this season. What is the state of mind within the team and its impact on your performance?
It is especially the victories of last season which give us confidence. When all the leaders impose themselves, it instills a state of mind that helps everyone, one wins so we want to win and there, we start in the right way.
How difficult was this finale?
We crossed the finish line earlier during the stage so I knew it would be difficult and that the strongest guys would chase the bonuses (in the intermediate sprint). It was quite an effort for me to resist but I had a lot of help from my teammates, especially from the twin brothers (Tim and Mick Van Dijke). It was a really difficult step.
Did this serve as a test for you in view of the Poggio on Milan-San Remo (March 16)?
Not really because it was still a much shorter day than in San Remo. But I’m coming from the Tour of the United Arab Emirates where we experienced very different stages from Europe, I didn’t know how my legs would be today so it’s just good to be able to do difficult races, to be able to test myself . San Remo, I go there mainly to discover rather than to obtain a great result, and we will see in the future what I can do there. Today I’m just happy to see that I made progress this winter.
What kind of progress?
Physically, in all areas. I’m still young so I feel like I’m progressing every year. Last year I felt that I was already stronger on the difficult courses. And one more year still gives power and experience, but also freshness in the finishes, as I could feel today. »
