He always changed the rhythm , all the time.

What happened was going to happen. You can't win a grand tour without a strong team. I was the best rider and with a stronger team the victory wouldn't have slipped out of my hands. But my team came here with few expectations. After winning one stage, we already fulfilled them.

I think it all worked out pretty good. I didn't do any work so I wasn't going to try to win the stage. The others had worked, so I wasn't going to try to contest the sprint.

They had to try to attack me and all I had to do was withstand the attacks. It's one day less in the race. I'm taking it day to day. It's still a long way to Madrid.

In the long run, after knowing him for a long time, it's the best thing that could have happened because he would have been slightly like a vegetable and he wouldn't have liked that. It's awful to say it sometimes but it was a blessing.

We need to be physical with them early and set ourselves up for later in the series. Every time you get out of position to make a hit, they have the skill to make you pay. You have to wait for them, but in a seven-game series they'll come eventually.