Julie Bego (Cofidis): "It was tough, especially as we got back to the hotel very late yesterday. I slept very little, less than four hours, so I wasn't at my best this morning! But it worked out in the end, I kept the jersey, which is the main thing. I was mainly focused on [Nienke] Vinke. At one point, I knew it was going to be difficult to keep up with the leaders because I had been dropped. On the penultimate climb, I stupidly got dropped because I was behind, and [Elisa] Longo Borghini pulled away because she couldn't take it anymore. The Picnic [Team Picnic PostNL] girls, to my left and right, were also exhausted, and I found myself blocked in where I couldn't get past. I had to brake to get back in front. I had to make a huge effort to get back into the peloton at that point. On the final climb, I was dropped among the frontrunners, but I knew I was with Vinke and keeping the white jersey. It was a relief though, because I really wanted to experience the podium a second time!"
