Paris-Nice, Nairo Quintana 13th overall
Windy battle today on the 2nd stage of Paris-Nice, Nairo Quintana arrived in Orléans with the 1st border and finished 17th, well supported by Matîs Louvel.
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On the line
“The wind was, as we expected, very strong on this stage, but I was able to get into the first one thanks to the help and the work of my team-mates that I want to thank. I finish in the first peloton tomorrow will be another day and we will stay focused until the time trial and the first mountain stages”.
“Everyone knew what was going to happen with this stage going straight south and a wind coming from the east and there were no surprises. Nairo managed to be in the first border, and we protected him as much as we could. He didn’t lose any time. I was able to be with him until the final and he didn’t lose any time. I wasn’t necessarily with him all the time, but often in contact with him. The main thing for us tonight is this good balance sheet, that was the objective. It has been achieved.
The debrief’
“We had planned to provoke the breakaway, so in the end seeing Nairo finish in the first peloton is a contract fulfilled, because we know that you can lose everything on a stage like this for the final general classification, and many teams are in that situation tonight. We know that it is only a matter of a few things, but I want to emphasize the work of the whole team that made sure that Nairo was in front, without his team-mates he wouldn’t have been able to be in the first group. Tomorrow another Paris-Nice will start with a terrain that will be more favourable for Nairo, but we have to look ahead. A lot of things happened in the first two days, a lot will happen in the next days and we are in a good position”.