00:00 - I must say, obviously this is not your first victory
00:02 on the Tour de France, but can you tell us,
00:04 can you explain what this victory means for you?
00:08 - It means a lot because it's just hard and cruel
00:13 to be a professional cyclist.
00:14 You suffer a lot in preparations,
00:18 you sacrifice your life, your family,
00:20 and you do everything you can to get here ready,
00:23 and then after a couple of days you realize
00:25 that everyone is just so incredibly strong
00:28 that it's just hard to follow the wheels sometimes.
00:31 And the other day on Col de la Loz,
00:32 I was completely tired and empty and done with it,
00:36 and you know you have to go all the way to the top
00:39 and across to the finish line,
00:41 and then do it again next day.
00:42 And you see the staff who wake up at 6 a.m.,
00:45 go for one hour to run, and then they finish their work
00:50 at 11 in the evening or midnight,
00:52 close the mechanics track because we need to change tires,
00:54 gears, everything, all day, all day,
00:56 and physio and massage and everything,
00:58 and then sometimes you feel like you don't belong here
01:01 because everyone is so incredibly strong
01:03 that you struggle to hold wheels sometimes.
01:05 Even today, during the day, I was thinking the whole day,
01:08 like how is, and you know that the guy who's pulling
01:11 is suffering just as much as you do,
01:12 but it's just cruel to then be able to follow
01:16 the decisive attack when Kasper went, I don't know,
01:18 like he was so incredibly strong.
01:19 He went on the attack yesterday and won the stage,
01:21 and today, to have the will and determination
01:23 to do it all over again,
01:25 like you just feel that you don't belong here.
01:29 And then I followed him.
01:30 I knew I have to make everything perfect,
01:31 and I tried my best because I matched just for myself,
01:35 also for Gino and for the team.
01:37 And then in the end, you almost feel like you betrayed them
01:39 because you beat them not to the line,
01:41 but yeah, it's just the way professional sport is.
01:44 Everyone wants to win, and obviously, if I want to win,
01:46 I need to take the will of Kasper
01:48 and then try to beat him on the line, last 50 meters,
01:51 but yeah, I just feel like so many things right now.
01:55 - Where did you find the determination?
01:58 - I don't know.
01:59 I just said I don't want to have any regrets
02:02 when I come to the team bus, always.
02:04 I know that I don't often win
02:05 because I'm not as strong as the others,
02:07 but I can keep the cool and the focus in the crucial moments.
02:12 And when Kasper made that attack on the climb,
02:14 I was in a lot of pain,
02:16 but I knew that it was a decisive move,
02:18 and I somehow find the mental strength
02:21 to follow the will, and then I just try to push tempo
02:24 all the way to the top and stay in the wheels,
02:27 and I was selfless.
02:28 I also tried to contribute to us staying away
02:31 because if I didn't, we wouldn't stay away.
02:34 And at one point, I felt sorry for Ben
02:36 because I knew he has no chance in the sprint,
02:37 but he still pushed to stay away
02:39 because he also wants to contest the win,
02:41 even though he knows he's likely to lose, no?
02:43 But then, yeah, I just, in the closing meters,
02:46 when Ben went, it was his only chance, so I knew this,
02:48 and I knew Kasper is gonna react
02:50 because he was by far the strongest,
02:51 and I just followed his will,
02:52 and he basically let me out.
02:54 I don't have a strong sprint, but yeah,
02:56 after a hard day like this, you never know,
02:58 and I'm just happy for myself, for the team,
03:00 and for everything that happened in the last month.
03:03 - You had stopped believing?
03:05 - I didn't care.
03:08 The whole day, I just wanted to give my best.
03:10 I didn't, I always know that I can win
03:13 up to the front stage because I already won two, no?
03:15 So I know I'm strong enough,
03:17 but I know so are other 150 guys.
03:20 I'm not the only one who can win up to the front stage,
03:22 and every single rider at this moment would deserve a win
03:25 because I saw the faces in Grupeto the other day
03:27 on Col de la Loz, and you just feel,
03:30 you feel, you know what everyone else is going through, no?
03:35 And you would like to, because I know how much
03:38 it can change your life after the front win.
03:41 I wish that everybody could win at the front stage,
03:44 but it's just not possible, and that's cruel, no?
03:47 - That's why it's so emotional for you now?
03:49 - Yes, and also because of the team,
03:51 because we believe so much in this,
03:53 and we've been through hard times
03:56 with all that's happened, and yeah,
03:58 it's just, yeah, I'm super happy and proud right now.
04:01 - Thank you.
04:03 (announcers speaking in foreign language)
04:08 (upbeat music)
04:11 (upbeat music)
04:14 (explosion)
04:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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