"It's not about proving anyone wrong. It's nice to prove someone wrong. Half the press room hasn't written a good story for longer than I haven't won a bike race, but they're still here at the Tour. I wanted to be here for myself.
I just needed someone who knows bike racing and who understands me as a person and that was Patrick Lefevere. I re-signed for this team because I knew those were the happiest days of my career and I just wanted to be in a happy environment again. When I've been at my happiest is when I have had my best results. I needed a happy place, I needed a team that functioned as a team, I needed a bike that fit me - that's why I wanted to come back here to Deceuninck-QuickStep."
-Mark Cavendish wins his 31st Tour stage and leads the Points Classification.
At the start of today's stage, all riders got off bikes and waited silently to staged a protest of the dangerous racing conditions after a flurry of crashes reignited the issue of road safety. Rider's representatives asked for the Stage 3 timings to end with five kilometers left. The goal was to avoid a risky final sprint in narrow and winding roads leading to the finish line.
Philippe Gilbert said race organizer ASO supported the proposal, but the UCI rejected the request in the morning at the start of the race. Gilbert said a pileup on a downhill curve about three kilometers from the finish was a direct consequence.
Riders' union CPA asked the UCI to adapt the "3-kilometer rule". Under that regulation, riders who crash in the last three kilometers are awarded the time of the group they were riding with before they fell.
"This could avoid circumstances such as those which occurred in yesterday's stage. Riders and CPA are determined to pursue changes for the safety and physical integrity of athletes. These changes are more necessary than ever."
-CPA
"There are no longer any medium-sized towns without a small island, roundabout or narrowing. Ten years ago, there were 1,100 dangerous points on the Tour de France. This year, there are 2,300. If the level of demand becomes too great, there will be no more finishes. That's where we are."
-Thierry Gouvenou. In charge of the Tour route.
"That's going to be pointless. The CPA is a toothless tiger. The courses can be modified and I think they can start to look at the rules. Just because the rules are there it doesn't mean they can't be modified."
-Matt White, DS Team Bike Exchange
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