2024-03-04 17:50:41
“Could you tell us regarding the sprint of this second stage in which you finished second?
It was quite a nervous finale, with all the trains battling it out in the final kilometers. It was difficult to choose a side of the road but I found a teammate who did a great job to bring me back to the front. 800 meters following the turn I was in a good position and then when De Kleijn spun off he was really fast so I just tried to leave the other guys behind me.
Did you imagine taking the yellow jersey at the end of this stage?
No, not at all, I didn’t expect that. It took me a while to find out, I was trying to do the calculations in my head at the finish but I wasn’t sure who had taken the bonuses in the intermediate sprint. It’s cool, I’m super happy. It probably won’t last long but I’m going to make the most of it.
We had seen you at the front on Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne a week earlier. Do you see yourself as a classics rider in the future?
I would like to focus on the classics in the future. The races where I have the best results are those which end in a sprint but I really like to experience the race at the front. On Kuurne, it was good to be in the breakaway but Wout (Van Aert) kicked me out quickly on one of the climbs (he smiles). I still have to work to improve and be able to stay with these riders. I still had a good result in the end (43rd), if I manage to survive in this kind of group, anything can happen in the future.
“This morning is the first time that I followed a briefing entirely in English in the World Tour team”
As a New Zealand rider, were you apprehensive before joining a French team?
Not really, the team was very welcoming when I arrived. But it’s true that when I arrived in Europe, everything was a change, I had to learn everything, a language of which I didn’t speak a word. This is what made me the runner I am today. Now I can speak the language and understand it, it helps me a lot. When I joined the continental team, there were a lot of international riders so we spoke more English than in the pro team. But this morning is the first time that I followed a briefing entirely in English in the World Tour team, it’s nice! »
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#Laurence #Pithie #GroupamaFDJ #leader #ParisNice #long
