The Kid speaks to CN, in the process of saying he's still thinking about doing the Tour:
"From the start in Belgium, with a Basso in exceptional form, I had estimated the possibility of finishing within a quarter of an hour of him in the general classification. Ivan is almost 29 years old, Gutierrez Cataluna and Simoni are over 30: I am not even 25. There's still a big gap in maturity as an athlete. Honestly, I couldn't do more, and even to win a stage proved to be difficult.
"The stimuli to improve to compete against these riders is strong. Two years ago, the surprise factor helped me, now I want to work to also become a factor in the classics. The third place in Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April was important in that sense and I already gave a good sign by winning the Giro di Lombardia."