Bernal: "I must keep my feet on the ground"

March 17 ^th 2019 - 17:45

"It's a really good feeling. I can't believe I just won Paris-Nice. It's incredible for me. I'm happy. Was it hard to stay calm? Yes and no. When some riders started to attack, I couldn't follow them but I also knew I had a good team, a strong team and it can control the escapees. It was not difficult to be calm becauseI really believed in my team. The whole team was riding vey hard in the front. We knew it was the last day and they pulled very hard. Quintana was very strong but I had Kwiatkowski Sosa, Tao… When Quintana attacked, I thought maybe if I follow him, I can stay with him. But then I'm alone and I preferred to wait a little bit and stay calm. Nicolas Portal, our team director, knows everything about this race, all the details, the winds, the roads, the gaps.In the finale, I knew that with a 45 seconds lead, it was enough to win. Next I will probably ride Catalunya and then it will be time to prepare for the Giro. It's my first grand Tour as a leader so I just want to enjoy it. I prefer not to think about whiter I can win or not. I'm 22 years old, I'm young, I have a lot to learn. I must keep my feet on the ground."