“It's a lot harder than it looks on paper [but] every time trial is hard,” said Orica-GreenEdge's veteran, Stuart O'Grady who is contesting the Tour for a 15th time. “It's been a long, hard Tour, as they all are. Time trials are never fun; they hurt whether you're first or last on the classification,” he told Roger Vaughan of AAP. “I'm looking forward to getting into Paris - one, big, final push.

“The highlight is being part of Australia's first team at the Tour de France - it's a pretty historic moment. I don't think we realise what it mean in the future. You get caught up in the little Tour de France cycling bubble, world here - I really hope everyone back home has had a great time. It's been bloody hard work on the bike - if it didn't hurt, it wouldn't make getting into Paris so special.

“I've had a few tough days in the mountains. It's different when you come into a race, as I have over the last few years, with GC riders going for the win... When we're more of a sprinter team, it's a lot more survival mode and looking after the young guys.”