Reactions Barredo and Van de Walle after stage 16
Today Team Quick Step was in the front of the stage once again. This time Jurgen van de Walle and Carlos Barredo were in the day`s breakaway, which made it till the line in Pau. Barredo was close to the stage win after a solo of 40 kilometres. How did Jurgen and Carlos react after the stage?
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate my team mate Carlos Barredo who today had a great performance arriving to within just one kilometer from realizing his dream of winning this important Pyrenean stage and becoming a part of the history of the Grande Boucle", says Jurgen Van De Walle. "For me the stage was brutal. We took on the first three hills at Peyresourde, Aspin and Tourmalet going super fast. In the final I had nothing more to give. I tried covering Carlos’ attempt and then once he got caught up to I tried to anticipate the sprint going into the last curve as hard as I could before the final stretch but I got slightly shut out by Moreau. Unfortunately, I narrowly missed victory, however we ran really well and we were major players in a significant move.”
Carlos Barredo will have to console himself with the prize for most combative rider. “Today my legs were super" - explains Barredo - “I realized it right away on the first climb, the Peyresourde. Then I managed to get back into the escape group on the Tourmalet. I rode a great stage with good support from my team mate Jurgen Van De Walle. After the Col d’Aubisque in the final I tried a solo act and I made my move when there were still about 44 km to go to the finish line. I managed to gain a good margin on the rest of the group, but unfortunately in the last 40 km the wind was always against me and this didn’t help at all."
"I’ve worked hard to be competitive in the Tour de France, but I still haven’t won a stage and I think today I deserve to. This performance however doesn’t cancel out the horrible gesture that I made at the arrival of the 6th stage. The day after was the worst in my career. But with today’s performance I hope to have shown everyone that the real Barredo is a fair rider, faithful and steely.”