Quotes
Stage 21
11| Tadej POGAČAR
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “We have to enjoy this beautiful era of cycling”
“I am super happy. I cannot describe how happy I am after two hard years in the Tour de France, in which we always made some mistakes that cost us the race. This year, everything went to perfection. I’m super happy, it’s incredible. This is the first Grand Tour on which I have been totally confident every day. Even on the last Giro I had one bad day - I won’t say which one. This Tour de France has been amazing. I have enjoyed it from day one until today. Today I started with a good vibe. It was lovely to start from the F1 grid of the best F1 circuit...
Stage 21
71| Remco EVENEPOEL
Remco Evenepoel: “A big step forward in my career”
“It’s pretty good for my first Tour de France. Today I gave it my all, but I realized that I no longer really had my best, even if I was still in good shape, as I finished third in this time trial. And if I take stock, I finished on the podium in the general classification, with the white jersey for best young rider and a stage victory, I can be proud of myself and my team. Tadej is in another world, and Jonas was also superior to me. But it’s a big step forward in my career. There is still a gap to close with them, but it opens up the perspective. With...
Stage 21
111| Richard CARAPAZ
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost): “I am very proud to be able to bring this jersey to my country”
“I am super happy with my Tour de France: it has been a success. We have grown little by little until finishing the race very well, and that is a great feeling to go home very happy. In Ecuador there are very few top-level athletes, but we have achieved great things. I am very proud to be able to bring this jersey to my country.”
Stage 21
1| Jonas VINGEGAARD HANSEN
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike): "I would have loved to go a bit further"
"Under normal circumstances, I would be disappointed with my Tour de France. But, after everything I’ve gone through, I can’t be disappointed. I didn’t have a good preparation towards this race, yet I still managed to regain a good fitness level. I would have loved to go a bit further, but it is what it is. I would like to come back to the Tour de France and win it again. The Tour de France is the race I love the most, the most beautiful one - it just has something special. I believe the yellow jersey is the most beautiful jersey in road cycling. Even if...
Stage 21
172| Biniam GIRMAY
Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty): “For the young kids keep working hard, everything is possible”
“What can I say? To be honest I really tried to enjoy it but sometimes, the feeling of emotion it was more than I expected. Just like everything is just so wonderful. I feel like I’m floating through the sky. It’s super nice. I just want to say for the young kids, keep working hard and everything is possible. I really would like to share my happiness and all the emotions. There are a lot of people here and it is super happy, all the fans, I’ve seen all the Eritrean flags. Then when I went to the team bus I saw all my people and it’s great that...
Stage 20
71| Remco EVENEPOEL
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step): "Tadej and Jonas were stronger than me"
“I wanted to put some pressure on and see if I could do something today. But Tadej and Jonas were stronger than me, it’s that simple. Once we were together I found myself on the edge again and when they attacked I couldn't keep up with them. But I had to try, and in the end I lost a little time but it’s not that important. Tomorrow, I want to make a final effort at maximum intensity to win the final stage. I know the route, as I had a look at it after Paris-Nice and I like it. But I think Tadej knows it very well too, it’s home for him. In my opinion,...
Stage 20
111| Richard CARAPAZ
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost): “My Tour de France has been a success”
“This has been a very good Tour de France for me. Today we secured the Mountain classification by going into the break because there was a possibility that Tadej Pogacar would win at the finish line and get some points that would put me in trouble. I was lucky enough to go clear on a descent and was first to go through two passes. Today I knew that I had good legs, that my physical condition had improved as the days went by, and I also wanted to go after the stage victory. I tried to collaborate with Enric [Mas], but we have not understood each other. The two strongest...
Stage 20
11| Tadej POGAČAR
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “Jonas showed us that he is a real fighter.”
“I did enjoy this day a lot, although it didn’t go according to plan. I’m really happy I got another stage win. Just one more day to go - the ITT. That one, I’m going to enjoy it too. I will just try to come home safely to Nice, as it is a very hard course. I hope I can enjoy the crowds. I was really surprised with how the race exploded at Col de Braus, which is one of my favourite training climbs. Our guys did a super good job so we all got together at the bottom of the next climb. Soler going to the breakaway was fine for us. We wanted to bring...
Stage 20
151| Enric MAS NICOLAU
Enric Mas (Movistar Team): “A different taste in the mouth than other years”
“We could see that victory was going to be a little harder than we thought and it wasn’t to be. Richard Carapaz and I fought a bit like cat and mouse. There was no understanding between us and they caught us from behind. However, the reason why the breakaway did not make it to the end was not that moment, but rather the lack of cooperation at other moments and that some teams prevented us from gaining a bigger advantage. In any case, we were close to victory. I enjoyed this stage and this Tour, discovering a totally different cycling to what I had experienced...
Stage 20
172| Biniam GIRMAY
Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty): “We did such an incredible job to protect this jersey”
"From the start of the Tour I’ve had such incredible teammates you know. All the staff, the team manager, the bosses, I want to say thank you to them, because from the start we had a great atmosphere, good team spirit. Especially the riders, they are super nice guys and we don’t have time to celebrate tomorrow on the time trial, so we said ok guys we have enough time, so let’s celebrate now, because for sure we deserve it. We did such an incredible job to protect this jersey. We gave everything we had. We have really the smallest budget of the World Tour...