Vuelta a Burgos stage 3, ToP stage 4, TdFF stage 6

“Today’s stage was a great opportunity for me. I don’t win very often; this is only my third victory as a pro. I was able to complete a very good training block, and I feel great. The pace was really fast from the middle of the race onward, but the team did a remarkable job positioning me and protecting me so I could conserve energy. In the final stretch, I always had a teammate with me. After trying to attack several times, I managed to break away in the final part of the climb. I hope to keep this leader’s jersey because that’s the goal, but above all, I’m happy with how today went.”

-Felix Gall. Dropping everyone on the brutal slopes of the Puerto del Escudo to win solo by an 11-second margin ahead of Ciccone, Pellizzari and Onley to take race lead. 

“After that crash, the peloton rode a bit more cautiously, which opened up space for me to attack. I took a risk-I figured it was easier to give it my all when nobody was sitting on my wheel. After so many attempts, I could finally cross the finish line with my hands up and put on the leader’s jersey.”

-Bart Lemmen takes a shortened stage 4.

“I had to close the gap myself, and I was really, really dead. I was on the limit. I can’t believe I still had the legs to sprint, it was really close whether I could give up. I will never give up after this big effort my team did. 

“I think the team needed this. I have been really struggling since the TT day and I think this really makes up… Of course we’ve got GC ambitions, but winning a stage at the Tour de France is very special. People don’t really remember top 10, top five, but they do remember stage winners.”

-Kim Le Court-Pienaar sprints to stage 6 victory.