Vuelta (Stage 13), Clément Russo: "We won't give up until Madrid »
Locked by a rider in Dan McLay couldn’t sprint in Montilla, Clément Russo finished 12th on this stage where Thibault Guernalec was forced to abandon after a crash.
Photo Arkea-Samsic/ Aubin Lipke
On the line
“The guys worked well before the finish. They protected us well and did a great job. Then I found myself riding Dan in the final part of the stage, the finish was difficult, with a long uphill section, even on the approach to the line. I tried to save us as much as possible while putting him back, we weren’t too bad, but we were a bit short of the front. But as I said we won’t give up, and if we have to wait for Madrid we’ll wait for this final stage. We will do something good in this Vuelta Ciclista a España which is far from being finished. I also have a thought for Thibault who was racing his first Grand Tour and who was forced to abandon, unfortunately, because of a crash during this stage”.
“It was a difficult final as we expected. I was in a good position again with Clément but I think I missed some in my legs. I also went to the left side of the road and I was completely enclosed by another rider, and I touched the barriers. That’s the way it is. I think there will be other opportunities in this Vuelta for the sprinters and we will fight again with my team-mates, whom I thank for their work, in order to seize these opportunities that will come to us”.
The debrief
“We lost Thibault Guernalec in a crash during this thirteenth stage of the Vuelta. We all have a thought for him tonight. Dan is locked up, he said right away that he couldn’t have beaten Pedersen, but I am sure that if he could have really sprinted he would have been at least among the 5ers. Clément, who was his pilot fish, kept on going. He was there to help Dan and finished 12th. It was not a good day and we hope that tomorrow there will be a little bit of sunshine for the Arkea-Samsic team”.