Ben O'Connor: «I struggle to control my emotions.»
«Taking part in the Tour de France was a dream. Winning is a bonus. The race was completely crazy. There's a lot of joy, I'm finding it hard to control my emotions. I'm so grateful to the AG2R CITROËN team for putting their trust in me this season. I wasn't prepared for this, I didn't know what to do in the breakaway. I saw that we had a five-minute lead, we could gain time for the overall classification, and on a long day like that, anything can happen, and in the end, I won. I gave it my all until the end, it was a crazy stage.» – Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu: «A tremendous spirit»
«We share a wonderful history with the Tour de France, we regularly win stages, and each time it's an incredible feeling that rewards everyone's efforts: the riders, the staff members and also our partners. These are great moments to experience!
This performance is achieved in a tremendous spirit. We have a team that is very pleasant to work with, whether it's the riders who are very friendly and supportive, or the group that works together every day with a sense of calm. These moments bring a lot of peace of mind.»
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The AG2R CITROËN team won the team classification for the stage thanks to Ben O'Connor's victory, Benoit Cosnferoy's 20th place and Aurélien Paret Peintre's 21st place. The team is currently in second place in the overall classification.
The information
Nans Peters withdraws
Nans Peters withdrew during the stage due to severe lower back pain. «He had suffered minor lower back bruising after two falls on the first stage, which hampered him on the flat stages. The discomfort became much worse in the mountain stages. That's why we decided to have an X-ray and ultrasound scan done, which revealed a small incomplete fracture of a lumbar transverse apophysis. This injury is not serious and he should be able to resume training once the discomfort has disappeared, probably in about ten days» time," said Dr Eric Bouvat, medical director of the AG2R CITROËN team.
