"It would be a lie to say I didn't think I'd be there": Mathys Rondel shines on the Blockhaus

Mathys Rondel had a great ride up the Blockhaus climb during the seventh of the Giro d'Italia. The 22-year-old French rider crossed the finish line in sixth place, just 1 minute and 29 seconds behind the stage winner, Jonas Vingegaard. Sharing the team leadership with Michael Storer, Rondel now sits in seventh place overall after the first big mountain test of the race.

Rondel spoke to Eurosport right after crossing the finish line at the top of the mountain. He admitted the conditions were tough, but he felt right at home pushing a hard pace against the best guys in the race.

"Yes, it was a good climb," Rondel said. "It was pretty hard, pretty windy. I don't know exactly what place I finished, I think 5th or 6th, something like that. I think I could have done a bit better, but it's not too bad. Yes, I expected to be at this level. We did good preparation for this, so it would be a lie to say I didn't think I'd be there. Then again, you never really know what form the other riders are in at the start of the race. What I was hoping for most was at least to be in the top 10 today to get off to a good start in the mountains. In the end, it's even a bit better than I expected, so it's alright."

Going into the stage, his main goal was simply to break into the top 10 to start off the mountain stages on the right foot. He noted that right from the bottom of the climb, the speed was high. However, he felt very comfortable, even when his power meter showed he was pushing a lot of watts.

Even with a great result, Rondel noticed a moment where he could have raced a bit smarter. When two riders attacked ahead of him, he hesitated instead of jumping right on their wheels.

"I made a small mistake by not immediately jumping on the wheel of the two riders who went ahead," he explained. "After that, I tried to limit the damage in the last three kilometers and pull away from the small group I was in. It is encouraging for the rest of the race. I know that if I have these same feelings on the next climbs, I will have to make the effort right away, and I think I will be able to stay with them until the top."

Rondel's teammate and co-leader, Michael Storer, also had a solid day on the bike. The Australian rider was happy with how the Tudor squad rode together through the bad weather and the long kilometers.

"It was a very long stage and we had no luck with the weather either today, but overall I’m pretty happy with my ride today," Storer said after the stage. "The team was incredibly strong, and it was great to see Mathys have the legs to attack and take such a strong result. The Giro is still a long race, so I’ll continue to take it day by day."