| With Sam Bennett finishing second in Tirreno-Adriatico and Felix Gall coming third in Paris-Nice, the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team ended the first week of World Tour races in Europe on a high note. |
Sam Bennett
«Victory was very close.»
«I'm very happy with the result. We wanted to win today, the whole team gave it their all and we did what we had to do to win. It was a difficult 240-kilometre stage in the rain and cold. The other teams set a fast pace and many riders attacked on the final climb. I stayed calm, I had spotted the finish line and I knew it suited me. Nicolas (Prodhomme) put me in a great position in the final. With 300 metres to go, I launched my sprint for victory. It's great and there are still some great opportunities in the coming days. It was our first win and, I hope, not our last.»
Felix Gall
«I'm glad to end on a positive note.»
«It was a short stage, so we expected it to start very quickly. The goal was to be in the breakaway. The pace was indeed very fast from the start, and the whole team was very involved, everyone was very strong today. Paris-Nice is always a special race, and I gave it my all to finish on a high note. We were there for the general classification, and even though it didn't go as planned, I'm satisfied with this last weekend. It has given me confidence for the Tour of Catalonia.»
A word from the Sporting Director
Sébastien Joly, Strategy Director for the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team and Sports Director for Paris-Nice
«We're ending the week with two good results in Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice. In Italy, Andrea Vendrame's victory and Sam Bennett's second place show that the team was able to deliver. In Paris-Nice, even though the week brought a few disappointments, we ended on a high note with Felix Gall's third place today. Aurélien Paret-Peintre finished twelfth overall, which is still a great performance. In every race, the team never gave up despite the difficult conditions and the riders remained united, which is important. We have some great goals coming up very soon with Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Catalonia, and I am confident that more victories will come very soon.»
