Competitions

Cervelo TestTeam race quotes: Tour de France

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Parent Category: Competitions

Category: Tour de France 2010

Published on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 18:12

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Thor Hushovd (NOR): “I had a really good (Tuesday) and I thought it was possible to stay at the front of the bunch. I hung on in the end on the last climb and I took six points that I needed to take back the green jersey. It was important to gain these six points. It’s not easy to have these points in a normal sprint, so it’s important to have this advantage.”

On rivals in green jersey: “Petacchi is the most dangerous rider. It’s not a surprise to see him so strong, because he’s always been a great sprinter. He’s 36 years old, so it’s somewhat encouraging to see him in good form again.

Key to last week: “The last week of the Tour it’s more important that you have fresh legs and feeling strong. This fight is similar to last year. I like the Tour when it’s harder. The harder is it, the better it is for me.”

On crash at Spa and neutralized stage: “Of course, I think about it. If I had won there, I would have won a lot of points. But as I said before, I cannot waste energy on this. There is nothing I can do to change it. So I don’t want to waste energy and become tired to keep dwelling on it.”

Carlos Sastre (ESP): “As I said at the start, I didn’t set myself any targets in this year’s Tour as I wasn’t sure of what kind of physical condition I would be starting out in. The beginning of the race was not easy by any means, but I was able to do quite well considering the condition I was in and the time I lost in two crucial stages - the La Madeleine stage and the two cobblestoned stretches in Arenberg. From thereon in I started to improve and during the last three days I have felt completely different. I feel so much better and am more motivated to fight. The two attempts that I tried didn’t really come off, but I’m happy that I tried feeling energized and motivated.”

On Thursday’s stage up the Tourmalet: “It is a mythic climb. Tomorrow’s stage with the Tourmalet is a very demanding stage, and marks the start of the home stretch of this year's race, which so far has been very fast and really hard. And to top that off, tomorrow’s stage follows on from today’s rest stage, which in many cases hinders rather than helps. Whatever happens, tomorrow is an important day that will be full of developments regarding the final positions of this race. For us climbers, it is the last chance to try something different.”

On Andy Schleck losing his chain on the Balès climb: “Andy was unlucky that the chain came out in the midst of his attack, but it is a racing accident, like getting a puncture or taking a fall. You can’t stop the race every other minute for something like that. He was the unlucky one that day, and another day it may happen to another rider. That is just what happens. It’s what is involved in this sport and also what it makes it so great: getting through all those setbacks.”

On Lance Armstrong’s stage yesterday: “I said on the first rest day that Lance had really bad luck with the falls he took, but for a rider with his emotional strength, I really thought that unless he had broken something, he would continue in this Tour de France until the end. I think that is the great lesson that he still had to give in this sport. To see the sense of sacrifice of a rider who has won seven Tours, a world championship and other important races and to see how he overcomes setbacks and keeps on getting stronger in the face of it. It is an example that can only be made by champions of his caliber. I think that was what happened yesterday, seeing a man’s ability to carry on regardless of the obstacles.”