Tour of Catalonia (2nd stage), Hugo Hofstetter 3rd
On the line
“I signed my 7th podium of the season! I thought that the last corner was further away from the finish line and it was too short, because I thought that there were still 300 meters to go, whereas there were only 180 meters left. The sprint was also very, very fast, I was going at 70 km/h, and once you are in the wheel of the rider in front of you in such a case, you can only stay in his wake! As far as the beginning of the season is concerned, I feel that I am progressing year after year. And then there is also the philosophy of the Arkéa-Samsic team: focused on performance, and giving the riders confidence. Everything is clear in my head and that allows me to perform well. As far as winning is concerned, I’m not panicking, I’m still motivated, it will happen”.
The debrief
“It’s mission accomplished for us! The objective today was twofold: that Nairo should not lose time on this stage, which was made tricky by the wind, and that Hugo should be able to compete in the sprint with the means to express himself. Which he did. There is obviously a touch of regret – because like many people, I think – I would have liked to see him raise his arms here in Perpignan, because the series he has achieved with 7 podiums in such a short time is just exceptional. Hugo also knew the stakes of this stage and the need to protect Nairo on this often windy return to France. And that was the case. Tonight the team has done well in the general classification even if there is still a long way to go. Above all, Nairo is not alone. He has a team around him, his team-mates have done a good job for him and that is the most important”.