"I would really like to thank Julian Alaphilippe who did a big pull just for me when he was already dead" - Ewen Costiou scores first top 10 result in a Grand tour

Ewen Costiou finished in 9th place in the sixteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia this Tuesday, which is currently his best result in a Grand tour. The Frenchman was on the offensive in the final of Tuesday's shortened stage, attacking from the peloton on the Passo Pinei.

In the company of Giulio Pellizzari and Cristian Scaroni, the Arkéa - B&B Hotels rider caught up to Julian Alaphilippe who's been cruising throw the screens of rain up front alone for a good few kilometers by that point. Obviously it was not possible for Costiou's experienced compatriot to keep up with the young guns when the group reached 12% slopes of Monte Pana.

Alaphilippe then helped his young compatriot by taking a big pull before parking himself under the final ramp, a gesture appreciated by Costiou at the microphone of Eurosport: "I would really like to thank Julian Alaphilippe who did a big pull just for me when he was already dead. He's a huge champion, it's great he has done that, he didn't have to."

The Arkéa - B&B Hotels rider also looked back on his stage: "It was a really tough day, it never stopped raining and the finish was chaotic. I had good legs, I really believed in it when we had a one minute lead, but we didn't really get along with the Italians," he tells about the cooperation of the leading trio.

"In the end, it didn't go to the end but I made a top 10, it shows that the legs are there. I reached a level that I've never had before, I discover myself more and more especially in the third week, it's my first Grand Tour I hope that there will be other great results at the finish but it's already great and bodes well for the future."