"Honestly, I think it's really still singking in. What a huge moment in my career, the defining moment maybe. Actually we didn't have much of a turnaround last night, already on the plane here to Rome. We kept the focus, we knew we had a chance with Olaf. Today, and he pulled it off. I've had some good successes but I don't think anything comes close. I will celebrate for sure, and we'll see what's to come."
- Simon Yates
"I will be the same guy. I will eat the same, I'll be the same guy with my teammates... it was incredible to be in this position. It's incredible to prove to myself that I can do it. It's not nice to lose the jersey. But I need to be mature with this, and be hungry the next time, to do everything right. Sometimes the guy who makes less mistakes wins. For sure, I will come back stronger."
-Issad del Toro
"We didn't have the time of our lives but we had a really good time. We have six stage victories and the ciclamino jerey, it's incredible. Not a lot of teams will ever be able to do this, so for us this is absolutely insane to be able to do it."
-Mads Pedersen
Only two years ago, Derek Gee experienced a Giro and Grand Tour debut which saw him make a name for himself as a breakaway specialist. He missed the win on four occasions, and fast forward two years, Gee achieves a fine fourth on the General Classification.
This is his third Grand Tour, and his second top-ten after securing ninth at the Tour de France in 2024. Gee targeting a top-five at the Giro d'ltalia. He went one better and proved he has what it takes to target the GC.
"I didn't want to put a number on it at the start. But, the number I had in my head was a top five. So I'm relieved and I'm very, very happy to have been able to achieve that.
I don't think two years ago I ever could have imagined this. And, to be honest, it just makes me a lot hungrier for more, because I know there are still areas we can improve. We've only been doing this GC project for a year now so I'm really looking forward to more."
-Derek Gee
The Brennan train
Matthew Brennan proved fastest in the bunch sprint during the final stage around Stavanger claiming the stage win and also securing the overall classification.
"This is amazing. The final was tricky and super hectic. Thanks to the team's great work, we got into position to sprint again. It was really close, but I had the feeling I just edged out Kristoff on the line. Luckily, that turned out to be true. It was a tense wait, but I'm happy and relieved I could win today."
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