Fantastic Movistar Team
Fantastic Movistar Team
Alejandro supported by a wonderful team
The first stage in the Pyrenees (237, 5 km between Carcassonne and Bagnères de Luchon) give Alejandro, wonderfully helped by his Movistar Team mates, the opportunity to gain time compared to American Tejay Van Garderen and Frenchman Romain Bardet and consolidate his place on the podium of the Tour.
Alejandro’s quotes:
“We were the ones who did all the pace into the final climb to hurt some of our rivals – that was our plan already since this morning. I think it was a good day for us, because we opened big gaps with threatening riders close in the overall standings. In the final meters of Balès, I chose not to follow the pace Pinot was putting into my group, because I knew he had to reach the summit with some gap over the rest so as not to suffer into the downhill. He set such a rhythm that even Nibali got dropped, but as soon as we started descending, we reached him down and kept the pace high with Gadret and Izagirre, who made a great work. We’re keeping the same goal, which is the podium in Paris, and now it’s all about tomorrow’s stage, which is going to be super hard.”
Tomorrow stage 17: Saint-Gaudens – Saint-Lary-Soulan: 125 km.