Alexander Kristoff: "I'm lucky but very happy"

August 11 ^th 2016 - 18:28

“I was kind of lucky. I was a bit alone in the final. Degenkolb had a good lead out at the end. He came really fast but his gear was stopping, he had technical issues and I managed to pass him, so luck was on my side. He did a really good sprint. I had a hard time coming past him if he had a smooth sprint because he timed it really well but at the end I was jumping and I got the win so I'm happy. I felt good for my come-back race. I was up there although I had been sick for one week after the Tour. I had only one week of training so I wasn't really sure how I'd feel. The climb was not too hard today. I managed quite easy so I'll try again tomorrow. The world championship in Qatar is a big goal for me but firstly I have Hamburg and Plouay coming up now. I've been close to winning a few times at the Tour de France but it seems like luck has turned to my advantage now. It's encouraging for the rest of the season.”