"It was a crazy finale, it was really difficult in the rain. In the sprint I trusted my teammate Rudi Selig and I was happy he found a gap and that Gaviria did a good lead out for me too. I’m strong but I was lucky too. I did two sprints: I had to break with 250 metres and then go again. I’m really happy with today.
"All the stage was scary and sprint was scary because you can’t see much. It was cold all day. But I’m ‘heavier’ than most other guys and so that perhaps helped too."
"I came here for a three week adventure and I wanted to finish it and I'm not ready to go home yet. I didn't want to be home and in two days time, be able to ride when the swelling goes down and be sad that I abandoned so I needed to try and push through with some painkillers today and it might've been possible. I would've always asked myself that question and now I can ask myself and I know the answer."
"[Pascal] Ackermann did really well today, the boys rode awesome. Obviously we had two objectives, keep the GC guys safe and the Giro decided with a lap to go the race would be neutralised so that was good and the sprint teams could play without the GC teams getting in the way.
"It was good, our team executed it really well and was in a good position on the final lap, everyone played a part and Ackermann finished it off again.
"Pascal is a sprinter so when there's a chance for a bunch sprint I think any day is his day. I think there were things to watch out for today and everything was executed well.
"I heard when I was about 500m to go from our directors that he had won so it must've been a pretty close finish."
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"It was a bit cold but it wasn't too bad. Just got to stay warm, plenty of clothes and plenty of food, it was a bit dangerous in the final with plenty of water on the road but yeah, they made the right decision.
"You just have to stay with the team, wrap up warm, make a few jokes and keep the head good and luckily it was only 140km and not 240km like yesterday, it can always be worse."
"We tried to go for it and because of the conditions we decided to come up late. That worked but then FDJ came up alongside us and were strong. When Ackermann and Gaviria came strongly from behind that was it. Afterwards it was a war for a placing and it was difficult to even stay up.
"I don’t agree with people who say I’m not at my best. I only just lost the first sprint to Ackermann, I won the second sprint but it was taken from me. When you’re so cold you can be okay with 200 metres to go but then you can’t feel your legs.
"There are still two more possibilities for the sprinters in Modena and then Novi Ligure. I hope to win them. Only then will we decided if I try to ride all the way to Verona or not."
