New race leader overall Michal Kwiatkowski was in elated spirits as he spoke to the press after pulling the leader’s jersey.

“Tirreno – Adriatico was one of my main goals for the beginning of the season,” the Pole said “although I didn’t expect to take the leader’s jersey today against champions like Contador, Froome and Nibali.”

Speaking about his chances of winning the race, Kwiatkowski remained cautiously optimistic, “I don’t know what to expect from the others, but I will try to keep the jersey. I’ll try not to lose time tomorrow or the day after, and in the time trial, which is my speciality, I’ll do my best to gain some seconds.”