“Thomas Voeckler – “Today, I never believed it...”

“This is my greatest victory, for sure. I’ve been wanting this for so long but I’ve tried so many times before that it was impossible for me to declare that a stage win might be possible. Usually when I find myself in a breakaway, I’m always very positive about the possibilities of a victory but today I never believed it was possible. First of all, the gap [to the peloton] wasn’t too significant and even once the escape had been established I was concerned about the two Francaise des Jeux riders in the break, I thought they would beat me at the finish. I think that without the wind, which disrupted the chase, I could not have won. In fact, I only began to believe it was possible with about 300 meters to go.
“It’s been five years since I took the yellow jersey on the day of Jean-Rene Bernaudeau’s birthday and now it is on his birthday that I win a stage. I have not won for him but it’s still a perfect gift.
“I know I’m not capable of winning a Grand Tour but I try to take advantage of my strengths by setting small targets. I’ve worn the yellow jersey at the Tour, I was the champion of France and now I’ve won a stage.”