Mischa Bredewold: ‘This victory is gratifying. This group of riders had never ridden together before. Then it is extra nice that we take a victory so quickly. I am grateful to them. We were left with three riders. A real lead-out would have cost too much energy. Our plan was that I was dropped in Elisa Balsamo's wheel and Anna van der Breggen and Steffi Häberlin did that perfectly. At 700 metres from the finish, I made a last-minute decision to switch to FDJ's train. That turned out to be the right choice and I get a lot of confidence from that.’

‘I'm proud of this decision. Sprinting in this way is still new for me. It was chaotic and I was looking for my own way. I knew my sprint values were good, but it's not just about how many watts you pedal. You have to achieve a result together with your teammates, trust in each other and make the right choices. I managed to stay calm. That is sometimes a working point, so I am happy that I managed to do that today.’

‘We came here at the start with the climbers' group. That we managed to win a bunch sprint together is extra nice. It's a relief to have that first win in my pocket so early in the season. A similar situation could present itself tomorrow. Just because I beat Elisa Balsamo because of how the sprint unfolded doesn't mean I can do it again tomorrow. If it comes to a sprint again, I will go for it full force. But with Anna van der Breggen, we are also well placed in the general classification. So we can play with a number of cards.’