Quotes
Stage 10
31| Ben HEALY
Ben Healy: "How often does an opportunity like this come around?"
"This is just a fairytale, a dream come true. Had you told me before the Tour de France that I was going to be here, in the Yellow Jersey after winning a stage earlier on, I wouldn’t have believed it.
It wasn’t exactly the plan. We were surprised that UAE Team Emirates let such a big break up the road, and we took advantage of it by putting four riders in there. I have to say a big thank you to my teammates Neilson Powless, Alex Baudin and Harry Sweeny because, without them, getting the Yellow Jersey would have been impossible. At some point, the stage...
Stage 9
21| Remco EVENEPOEL
Remco Evenepoel: "Tomorrow will be interesting, explosive and maybe surprising"
"The stage was only calm for 6 or 7 kilometres, then it was nervous and lively until the end. We were very cautious because I didn't want to have the same problem as on the first stage, so I stayed behind my teammates and it went well. In the finale, I gave Tim [Merlier] a little help and then he managed to win. When you win with the team and have contributed a little to Tim's success, it feels like a victory too. Four years ago, it was also the team's third victory here with Cavendish, so history was made.
In terms of stage victories, we can be happy with three...
Stage 9
1| Tadej POGACAR
Tadej Pogacar: "Tomorrow offers a lot of possibilities"
"We were expecting a stage like this one in Châteauroux. The heat made it harder, and having Mathieu Van der Poel up the road didn’t help either. It turned out super hard for a flat stage.
We expect a very hot, hard stage tomorrow. There will be a huge fight for the break, as it’s the French national day and all French riders will want to put on a great show. It will be hard to control, but we will be up there paying attention to the other team’s moves. It’s not the hardest course, but it offers a lot of possibilities - also GC wise.
It...
Stage 9
105| Jonas RICKAERT
Jonas Rickaert: "I will hang a picture of today with Mathieu"
"My goal to be once on the Tour podium is achieved!
It was super hard today. It started with a small joke and it got more and more serious. We planned it. Yesterday I said I would like to be on the podium of the Tour and Mathieu [Van der Poel] said we go at the front the two of us. We thought the others would never let us go but they did.
I think they thought we would go until the intermediate sprint but the goal was to go to the finish. We tried and we almost succeeded.
When the gap came down to 40 seconds, we thought it was over but somehow we got...
Stage 9
7| Tim WELLENS
Tim Wellens: "I will almost certainly lose the polka dot jersey tomorrow"
"It has been a very fast day out. We knew it was going to be a nervous stage because of the wind. I was full on, and couldn’t even think of saving legs for tomorrow. For a long time I didn’t have any bidons, so that didn’t help for me to feel alright. In the end, I had to let the peloton go.
Tomorrow’s stage is going to be the most difficult one of the Tour de France so far. We may suffer a lot, and it will be a working day for me - not one for myself to embark on the breakaway. I will almost certainly lose the polka dot jersey. I’m...
Stage 9
81| Jonathan MILAN
Jonathan Milan: "It’s easy to say we could have done some things differently"
"It was a pretty tough stage with two strong riders at the front. We had to fight for a sprint and use all the guys racing through the wind. It made for a difficult sprint and I came second. Of course I wanted more but sometimes we win, sometimes it ends up like this and we learn from it.
At the end of the stage, it’s easy to say we could have done some things differently. Maybe I could have stayed more on the wheels during echelons but I was worried it would split and then I would have ended up at the back.
We spent too many guys, staying in the front...
Stage 9
24| Tim MERLIER
Tim Merlier: "It’s nice to battle with Milan"
"It was quite okay in the bunch today but with the echelons attempts in the finale, I didn’t get any drink in the last 60 kilometres, so I was a bit overheated. Apart from that, it was quite okay today although it was nervous.
Five minutes and a half was a lot and the pace was quite high. So we participated in the chase. Even Remco [Evenepoel] chipped in. He was really strong. Normally, I help him. But in situations like that, he doesn’t feel the legs and he can move up easily. We tried to protect each other as much as possible in the echelons but I guess...
Stage 8
182| Mathieu BURGAUDEAU
Mathieu Burgaudeau: "I like to give it a go"
"The plan was for me to do it alone, but then [Matteo Vercher] helped me get started and ended up at the front with me. It was too much for him, so we carried on together and I was really happy. We're two mates, so sharing this breakaway as a duo in the Tour de France is a great moment. The same goes for sharing the prize. No one was interested in the breakaway today, but it's still a chance to be in the Tour de France, so I like to give it a go even though I know there's very little chance of making it to the end. Maybe I have the legs to win a stage, but I'll...
Stage 8
188| Matteo VERCHER
Matteo Vercher: "It's almost unique"
"I've already won the combativity award in Lille, but it's really cool to share it with Mathieu [Burgaudeau], it's almost unique. When we set off, we thought it might give the others some ideas, but in the end it was just the two of us at the front and had a great time. I was a bit frustrated at the end because I had a puncture, so I didn't get the chance to show what I could do as much as I would have liked."
Stage 8
21| Remco EVENEPOEL
Remco Evenepoel: "I stayed focused"
"Overall, it was a comfortable day, but in stages like this, it gets very nervous in the finale. I stayed focused because for riders in the general classification, crashes in sprints are the most stupid thing that can happen. In any case, this stage feels good after two very intense days.
The team's goal today was to win with Tim [Merlier], but he was unlucky, he had a problem in the approach to the finish and had to spend a lot of energy to get back into the peloton. But he has good legs and will have another opportunity tomorrow."