Near-crash lets Yates pull away from frustrated Arensman: "Simon handled the corners brilliantly"

Before the stage, Arensman was already clear about his ambitions for France's national holiday. But he knew he wouldn't be the only one with this day circled in red on his calendar. “Yes, I think that for today, Bastille Day, the day before the rest day, that applies to 90% of the peloton,” he told NOS. “I'm going to try, but I think it's going to be a huge battle. Perhaps it will take an extremely long time before the breakaway occurs, but the question is whether anything will happen at all or whether it will ultimately be a GC day. I'm definitely going to try a smarter approach. If the breakaway doesn't go, I'll try to help Carlos (Rodriguez, ed.).”

What would a smarter approach look like? “I'm not trying to force the breakaway, but if you make the breakaway yourself and you're already at your limit, you're not going to win a stage. It's always a balance.” In the end, Arensman was there to seize his opportunity. “Physically, yes, but mentally, after so much stress and fighting, you're a bit tired. That's normal after stage 10, but physically, I feel great.”

He demonstrated this along the way. The large leading group thinned out, but the climber remained in contention until deep into the final. Five riders would battle for the victory, but Yates timed his acceleration perfectly: just before the climb, in a tricky section. “Simon was just brilliant in those corners,” said a disappointed Arensman, once again in front of the national television cameras. “I almost crashed in those corners, so I had to let them go a little. I didn't want to cramp up too much, but I think he did it very smartly.”

He was closer to tears than laughter. “I was so close, and I had the legs. In the end, losing to the Giro winner isn't a bad thing. I should have known he would play it smart. The radio wasn't really good either, but it is what it is. Simon was really strong and rode very smartly all day. He made good use of his team; hats off to him.”