Andrea Vendrame
«The objective today was to win.»
«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.»
The information
Dantesque conditions on stage 4, the assessment of Sports Director Sébastien Joly
The stage took place in extreme conditions, with snow and hail. This type of situation always causes disruption. The organiser initially neutralised the race, which was the right decision given the conditions. Then it took a long time for everyone to regroup and the riders' representatives, including Oliver (Naesen), were unable to discuss the situation with the organiser, which is regrettable. It would have been better to restart the race with a false start, followed by a real start. When we were informed that we would be restarting in two minutes, we did our best to get the riders back on the road in the best possible conditions, but they were inevitably taken by surprise. This sudden restart ruined any chance we had of achieving a good result today. We will now focus on tomorrow's stage, which has a difficult finish that suits us well. Our leaders Felix (Gall) and Aurélien (Paret-Peintre) are in good shape and we will do everything we can to help them perform well.
Armand Thierry, new official partner of DECATHLON – AG2R LA MONDIALE
Armand Thierry has become the official lifestyle outfitter for the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE teams for the next two years. The French brand will dress all riders, from juniors to professionals, in casual chic outfits outside of races. This partnership makes perfect sense given their shared values: the pursuit of performance, high standards, rigour and attention to detail.
