I can't help but feel a collective gasp for sadness and joy when Thibaut Pinot either loses or wins. He has endured a long drought (3 years without a win) and injuries to finally put on a happy face and return to winning ways. Romain Bardet also returns to winning form and adds to a mini French revolution.
"I had rage. This morning (Friday), I had the knife between my teeth. Despite the rain, I only had one thing in mind: to win. I feel a lot of relief. Compared to yesterday (Thursday, second in the 4th stage behind Lopez), it made me feel good to know that I could react.
I bounce back very quickly and feed on my failures. Today, I was transcended; I felt neither the cold nor the rain. We'll stop talking about my days without winning. Next week, I will be at the Tour de Romandie and I hope to shine there."
-Thibaut Pinot
Bounce back
"It just felt like textbook cycling today, all of the guys rode amazingly well. We wanted to go all-out on the last climb to go for the GC, and the guys positioned us well. We were up there with Thymen (Arensman) and I in a group of there which was a perfect situation for us and we just pushed to the finish. It was such a nice reward to also have the two of us on the final podium in the end. It's been a great week with the guys!"
-Romain Bardet
Up and coming: 18-year-old Lenny Martinez, 14th overall.
Israel Premier Tech is sending its most experienced team to Liege-Bastogne-Liege with 2019 winner Jakob Fuglsang and 2018 runner-up Mike Woods on Sunday.
"We just have to see how we can play our cards but the team is riding really well and we were in the right position throughout La Fleche Wallonne so if we ride the same at Liege, then it makes life a lot easier for us. I have a lot of hope for the race on Sunday."
-Jakob Fuglsang
"I'm not as explosive as I was last year but I feel like I'm stronger aerobically so that will play to the Liege course more. The way the team rode on Wednesday was really good so we have a strong team going into the race. I'm really excited to be doing it and hopefully I can improve on my best position there."
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