Gert Steegmans – “It's great to win here...”

“The team has worked perfectly so that I could win this sprint. I knew very well the last turn and I knew I’d timed it well enough not to be harassed by anyone in the final expect perhaps the two or three who were right on my wheel. Matteo Tossato gave me a pace that was so fast that I could not even get around him. _ “It’s great to win here. Tom [Boonen] is usually our leader. The fact that he is not here added pressure on me and also Stijn Devolder. It was not easy, and this victory has been a long time in coming, still, the team has consistently done its best and finally the work they were doing helped give me that little bit of extra confidence. _ “Several factors have prevented the Quickstep team from winning. The first is, of course, Cavenish. And then, Barredo was a little too nervous when he had the opportunity to win the stage a few days ago. But the team did not need to save its Tour; we had a meeting yesterday and our managers have praised our work although we had not yet won a stage.”