Just because André Greipel is one of the fastest sprinters in the Tour, winning doesn't come easy. He had to fight to get over a steep hill near the finish of the 13th stage but then he had the help of a committed team to put him in the right place at the right time.

“It was close until the end. I was dropped on the climb but I was going full gas on the way up and I had to do a sprint at the top to get in a small group and Lars Bak brought me back and then the team chased Vinokourov and Albasini. Then, when Luis Léon Sanchez attacked I thought, ‘Okay, now it's over...' but I was happy that Sky was still there and I could work out how to win this stage because I think my team deserves it.
“I think this was a really nice victory for the team. Jurgen van den Broeck was pulling to get the move by Vinokourov back and so I think I can only be happy with this team.
“I chose the wheel of Boasson Hagen and it was a really crazy sprint with that last corner but I'm happy that I could stay in front. There was a bit of a headwind but I think Sagan is a really fast guy and that's why he has the green jersey; but we deserve this because we worked really hard for this victory.”