First pro podium for Pierre Thierry

“It was a stage we’d ticked off to be in the breakaway. We knew it could go far, so I did everything I could to be in it. The peloton gave us a lead of up to 10 minutes, so we were able to manage. On the last climb of the day, Adamietz attacked. I preferred to ease off and went downhill. Our two other breakaway companions came back at the flamme rouge, and I took advantage of this to enter the finish in 2nd position in the quartet. I was well placed right up to the last bend. When I wanted to start the sprint, I unfortunately took off my shoes and finished 3rd. It’s infuriating to come so close, but I’m trying to put it into perspective. It’s a great result, the form is there and I’m very happy to have achieved it on such a high-level event as the Tour of Slovakia”.