Vincenzo Nibali: “We can’t always win”

It's been a difficult Tour de France for me, you've seen it. I've had trouble in the first week. I've done better in the second week. Every time I attacked, I paid for my efforts in the finale. It was hard again today but we've done a great job as a team with Michele Scarponi in the first breakaway, Tanel Kangert in the second because I wanted to have someone to help me at the front. It was our plan to raise the rhythm on the Croix-de-Fer. It wasn't simple but an attack from far out was the best solution. I haven't seen Froome had a problem. I looked behind because I was looking for Kangert. We didn't receive any such info via radio. All we heard was time gaps and when I got to know that I had an advantage of 2.20, I stabilized it. I've had a great support from the crowd, by Italian and French fans. I thank them warmly. I feel better this week. I have the same rhythm and the consistency as last year but I'm not as explosive. It's difficult to compare the years. We're humans, not machines. Alberto Contador is also not as his best after having done the Giro. We can't always win.

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