"Captain America" praised by Lidl-Trek: "Unbelievable how strong he was"

All teams knew that this was D-Day for Lidl-Trek, so all eyes were on the German-American team from the start. Quinn Simmons in particular was tasked with the necessary work in this phase, which the American champion handled well.

“We saw another strong performance from Captain America,” said team leader Steven de Jongh to NOS. “It’s incredible how strong Quinn rode again.” Milan was briefly dropped on the climb, but that was part of the team’s plan.

“My girlfriend asked me why I was so nervous, but I told her I could help Jonathan get a good sprint. To then hear that he had won was fantastic. I'm not a fan of the rain, so I was glad I got to do the first 150 kilometers,” said Simmons himself.

“We then had to stay together. We kept some guys at the front to deal with any attacks and slow down the pace in the peloton. We called Toms Skujins back to close the gap. It was perfect teamwork, a great victory, and we picked up a lot of points,” said De Jongh.

“This was also a difficult stage,” said the winner himself in his flash interview. “From the start, we took control, along with a few other teams. The pace was good, but the rain made the final part a bit more difficult. It was a bit scary at times. I didn't know there had been a crash, but I hope everyone involved is okay.”

“Not all the sprinter teams agreed. Soudal Quick-Step and Israel-Premier Tech wanted to go for it. In the end, there was a crash, but that's almost impossible to avoid in this rain...,” was De Jongh's analysis.

In the end, it all turned out well for Milan, who stayed out of danger in the final. “I'm thrilled and can't put it into words. I got through the mountains thanks to my teammates, so I have to thank them a lot. Without them, I wouldn't be here, and I might have ended up somewhere on those mountains.”

With this victory, Milan extended his lead over Tadej Pogacar in the battle for green to 72 points. “The green jersey is now the goal. There are still some tough days ahead, but so far we've had a lot of fun. Tadej is a strong contender, but we'll continue fighting our way through intermediate sprints and possibly a sprint on the final day. We've now gained some lead, so I'm a bit more relaxed about it.”