The finish line surprised me today. It came earlier than I thought it would. I had to give my all and think that I now have longer arms than before. By throwing my bike like that I stretched myself even longer than I already am. At any rate that is what it felt like.

Three wins in seven days. That is really hard to believe. I can’t really grasp it. Thanks to the team. In this fast and hectic finale we put our plan into action as we had planned. Except for the early finish line ;-)

In addition to the win, I am of course also happy that the green jersey is once again on my shoulders. It is always something special to wear such a jersey at the Tour.

But I must say that after the finish it was pretty nerve-wracking to wait for the results. It has never been so close for me before. I had a good feeling about it, but you can only hope that they call your name when they announce the winner. I sat on my bike with head bowed over the handlebars and buried in my arms, and tried to influence the outcome with positive thoughts. In the end they announced my name and the difference was only six millimeters. I am so happy.

Photos: roth-foto.de