Levi Leipheimer – “My emotion took over...”

“To be able to go so fast on the bike is my lifelong dream especially to do so while winning a stage of the Tour de France. I always dreamed of being able to do this: I wanted to win a mountain stage or a time trial because that’s where my strengths are. I think that, after today, I’ve earned the right to stand on the final podium tomorrow. _ “I was already experiencing joy halfway through the stage because I was getting good feedback from Dirk [Demol]. He said that I was going fast. I knew that I had enough time to be conservative in the corners and make sure that I kept enough energy to the end. So I was really able to enjoy it and I think my emotion took over and I went faster and faster. _ “The thought of taking the yellow jersey had crossed my mind. If either Cadel or Alberto had an off day it could have happened but to tell the truth, I was really hoping for Alberto. He had a big gap and also had a lot of pressure on his shoulders these last few days. He’s only 24 years old and he defended his lead well; he was amazing. _ “Having Lance on the bus with the team before the stage was very motivating. He was nervous – just as anxious as we were – so that helped us raise our game. It gave us a sense that he was really behind us. We were here to do big things and his presence helped.”