Arensman the only one to hold back Pogacar-Vingegaard battle - "I have no idea what I've done yet"

Thymen Arensman is a rider of many highs and lows, and this Saturday afternoon he might have reached the highest point in his career. The INEOS Grenadiers rider is now a Tour de France stage winner and has done so with the ride of a lifetime.

"It's amazing, crazy. A dream come true, and I'm almost speechless right now. I still need to process it all. This might make your career. I have no idea what I've done yet," the Dutchman said in a post-race interview. He was part of the day's breakaway that set off on the Col du Tourmalet, but for several hours he wasn't actually in the head of the race, but instead saving his legs towards the final two climbs. On the Peyresourde he went solo off the front with a powerful attack and headed solo to the final ascent. His chances increased as he grew the gap to the peloton substantially on that ascent, but on the final climb he put in just as strong of a ride.

"I was just as nervous. They kept us close on the Peyresourde, and we weren't going fast enough in the group either, so I thought: move with the legs I had. This morning I'd told the team guys that if Carlos (Rodirguez, ed.) and I were in a position where we had four minutes, we would make it. It was about three minutes," he explains.

And on the final climb he simply had the legs to finish off a perfect day's work. "I saw the 9.8 percent signs and really thought I wasn't going to make it. But all those Dutch fans on the final climb gave me a little extra push. Thanks for that! It wasn't until 200 meters from the finish that I knew for sure." He still had over a minute over Tadej Pogacar at the finish line, climbing up Superbagnères as fast as many of the riders in the GC group despite his previous efforts on the day. 

"From 8 kilometers to go, I felt the power drain from my legs and I was close to cramp. I tried to keep pacing myself. All the fans, all the Dutch riders made sure I could make it. This is the biggest race in the world. It's career-making, especially the way it's done. And there are more opportunities to come," he concluded.