“It was a very difficult day today because we’re getting tired from all the effort in the last week. We had a rider [Nicolas Roche] up front so we didn’t have to ride but because [George] Hincapie was in the move there was a big risk of losing the yellow jersey. Eventually, with 50 kilometers to go, our directeur sportif Vincent Lavenu said, ‘Okay, let’s go! Let’s catch the guys…’ Okay this wasn’t possible but we had to limit our losses and keep the jersey.
“I told the guys, ‘Listen, I don’t mind. If you want to go for it and defend the jersey, that’s great. But if you don’t want to, that’s okay. You’ve already worked so hard over the last few days so it doesn’t really matter.’
“Eventually I’ve kept the lead by just five seconds, so I’m really pleased with how this Tour has gone for me so far. And I’m really grateful for the commitment from my team.”
Interview
July 18
th
2009
- 18:21
Rinaldo Nocentini – “There was a big risk of losing the yellow jersey...”
