He said that he thought he had surprised Sagan by sprinting first, rather than waiting for Sagan's sprint; he acknowledged that it was "very difficult" to race with the pressure of the world champion's rainbow jersey.
He thought. This was what he said. He had surprised Sagan by. He was sprinting first, rather than waiting for Sagan's sprint. It was "very difficult" to race with the pressure of the world champion's rainbow jersey. This was what he acknowledged.