"This Giro quite difficult, with demanding stages in Albania, a fast pace, and of course the unfortunate loss of Geoffrey Bouchard. We were hoping that new opportunities would arise in the sprints and breakaways once we arrived in Italy. At first, we weren't able to capitalize on the sprints, and the stages that were conducive to breakaways often turned into battles for the general classification.

But as the days went by, we felt the riders momentum and getting closer to a good result. We came close with 5th and 6th places, and we knew we had what it takes to do something special. We were convinced that if we remained consistent, an opportunity would eventually pay off.

The third week was the key to our perseverance. Nicolas Prodhomme was in excellent form, and we knew that if we could get him to the front in the mountain stages, he'd have a real chance. At this stage, there were only the queen stages left, or those destined for the battle for the overall classification, so we had to believe. We knew what we were capable of, we never gave up, and it paid off. Nicolas was unbelievably strong to come away with a well-deserved victory.

He also finished 15th in the overall standings—a result we weren't particularly aiming for, as our main goal was a stage victory. We tried to save his energy by letting him rest on certain days. So this ranking is a huge bonus, which is nothing but positive. This race will be a real confidence boost for him, confirming his good form, his excellent start to the season, and showing what he is capable of on a Grand Tour. It's very promising for the future."