Stage 8
74| Michal KWIATKOWSKI
Michal Kwiatkowski: "We could have done 1 and 2"
"It was an exciting week. We reached our objective at the start, which was to win the GC. When you see everything that happened, it was very intense, with the first days in the crosswinds. But we managed to handle the situation. Today we had to control the operation launched by Quintana and we didn't panic. As for me, I tried hard to win this race but i couldn't fight hard enough in the Turini climb. It's not really that I have my limits on a climb like this, more that my schedule is to reach my best level for Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which is my next big goal....
Stage 8
71| Egan Arley BERNAL GOMEZ
Bernal: "I must keep my feet on the ground"
"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...
Stage 8
25| Ion IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI
Ion Izagirre: "It's exceptional"
"It was hard to finally raise the arms but what a nice day in Nice today. It was a very spectacular stage. This time I couldn't be in contention for the GC but I managed to win a stage. With Luis Leon Sanchez, we decided to go in the breakaway and then we saw some guys coming back from behind like Quintana. and then Miguel Angel Lopez told us he was tired. So in the last climb I decided to go and give it my all. And it worked. It's amazing the amount of stages we have been winning with Astana. Lutsenko won in Tirreno yesterday and me today. It's exceptional."
Stage 7
71| Egan Arley BERNAL GOMEZ
Egan Bernal: "Never won before the last day"
"It was a little complicated at the start of the climb. I thought that we were in control and that it would be easy to bridge the gap. But as the race went on, we saw it was not the case and we were forced to raise the tempo. Then Michal was honest and told us to go for it and try to salvage the jersey. We could not let Gilbert take the jersey away from us. We rode the last kilometer like a time trial.
A race is never won before the last day. The last stage is always difficult and the gaps are not so huge. So even if I'm in a good position, we must not lose our concentration."
Stage 7
154| Daniel Felipe MARTINEZ POVEDA
Daniel Martinez: "Always proud to win for Colombia"
"The break was a very strong one and I knew the qualities of each rider in it. I analysed each one of them, knowing that the mountain always puts you back in your place. In the finale, we really watched each other. I knew what my place was. I was tired but I gave everything I had left in the last kilometer. I was more afraid of Simon Yates because he won the TT and was in great form.
We showed that Colombia was a great cycling power. We are all great friends and it also helps. Even we all compete in our own interest, we're always proud to win for Colombia. It's a very...
Stage 6
52| Sam BENNETT
Sam Bennett: "Everything's flowing"
"When you have the confidence, everything's flowing. For a sprinter, when he's winning, everything is going so smooth. You don't have to fight for it, it's just happening. The form is here, I'm feeling good. When you're strong enough, you're always in the right position. I'm just enjoying the moment. It was a pretty hectic finale with some hard climbs. The team did amazingly to put me in great position again. All I had to do was to follow the guys and have trust in them. They did a great job again. This race was my first goal, then Milan-San Remo, then I will back up a little...
Stage 5
61| Romain BARDET
Romain Bardet: "Everything can change on Sunday"
"There is no reason not to be happy today. I rode my first time trial of the year and it was rather neat. I went pretty far in terms of pain, it's a little bit difficult to analyse but I think I went as far as I needed. The conditions changed in the afternoon and I think that we were slower overall in the first part of the course. But the guys in the best form are in front. In any case I enjoyed it, I didn't make a lot of mistakes and there are reasons to be satisfied. Saturday will be a great stage but don't expect miracles. By contrast everything can change in Sunday's...
Stage 5
74| Michal KWIATKOWSKI
Michal Kwiatkowski: "I din't ride to win the stage"
"I didn't ride to win the TT but to defend the yellow jersey. And that's a satisfaction since I remain the race leader and I even gain some time on all my rivals. Now I'm looking forward to the weekend as it's not over even if we're in a good position."
Stage 5
71| Egan Arley BERNAL GOMEZ
Egan Bernal: "The goal is to win the GC"
"I think it's good for us. We have two cards to play. Kwiatkowski is very strong and he can climb very well. We will see in the climbs but the leader is Michal and we have a very good team to help him in the mountain so that's good. I think I rode a good time trial. To be honest, I expected to lose much more time but finally it's good for me because I'm not a specialist. Now our first goal is to win Paris-Nice. Michal is our leader so we will try to win the race with him. It would be good to win a stage but we are not going to risk the GC for a stage. We will...
Stage 5
11| Simon Philip YATES
Simon Yates: "It's unexpected"
"It's unexpected. I knew it was going to be tough and I didn't believe it was a good course for me as there was no hill but I felt good coming into the race. I lost a lot in the crosswinds but now it's a good day. It's my first ever victory in a time trial, even as a cadet. I'm happy with what I did. The sensations were really good. The legs were here at the start. I was just caught in the crosswinds. But the legs are good. I'm looking forward to racing at the weekend. Today I just tried to do the best I could. I left everything on the road."
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