Marc Sarreau: «Happy to be back on the road to victory»
«I'm very happy. The day was relatively quiet despite the fast start. Everyone had energy for the final sprint, it was intense and nervous. The team did a tremendous job. We had discussed with Oliver (Naesen) that we needed to be well positioned at the last roundabout, but that the most important thing was the restart. He dropped me off at 250 metres and I was able to maintain my speed, it was perfect.
I've had two years of bad luck. It's frustrating for me and for the team. So I'm happy to be back on the winning track, but I hope this is just the beginning of a good run.
There are still several opportunities to raise our arms in victory this week, so we will try to continue in this vein and defend the leader's jersey.»[/su_quote]
The figure
500
Marc Sarreau's victory in the first stage of the Tour Poitou-Charentes is the 500th victory for the AG2R CITROËN team, founded in 1992.
It was Jocelyn Jolidon who opened the scoring by raising his arms in victory in the second stage of the Tour du Vaucluse in 1992.
«It's a beautiful symbol, and it's not just anecdotal. There's a very long history behind this number. It represents the work of all our partners, all our riders and all the staff over the past 31 years. There have been some great victories and some not-so-great ones, but each one has stirred up special emotions.
I'm happy for Marc, who has been through some difficult times in recent months. It's a wonderful moment.
The goal now is to quickly add more successes,» says Vincent Lavenu, general manager of the AG2R CITROËN team.
The information
La Vuelta a Espana (Stage 4): Ben O'Connor finishes sixth
Ben O'Connor finishes sixth in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España.
«I felt great today. I'm happy to have contested the sprint even if everything isn't perfect. I still need to build up a bit more confidence to raise my arms. My teammates supported me well in the final. We're in a good position for the rest of the race,» said Ben O'Connor.
«We've made a good start to this Vuelta a España. From today onwards, we're on terrain that suits the AG2R CITROËN team. Ben O'Connor finished in a fine sixth place with a strong final climb. He was perfectly supported by Jaakko Hänninen and Clément Champoussin, who did a great job,» said sports director Julien Jurdie.
