Tour de France (Stage 8) : Matîs Louvel 11th
Between Libourne and Limoges, Anthony Delaplace spent almost 160 kilometers in the breakaway. Matîs Louvel took 11th place in the sprint.
Photos Fred Machabert
“It was a sprint ‘à la patte’ as they say, without too much suction. The finish was hard and nervous, but I had good legs. I negotiated the last climb well, and it was all uphill. Warren helped me a lot. I had good legs, but Luca wasn’t feeling very well, as he told me quite early on. I prepared myself mentally, it was hard, and I hurt myself quite a bit. I’ve had a good feeling since the start of the Tour, and I hope to build on that in the next few stages.”
“The start was fast, a lot of riders wanted to go, the big teams were involved. I felt he had a chance. I went out with two big rouleurs. It’s been a tough day, and my legs are aching tonight, so I’ll have to recuperate well. But I’ll try my luck again on this Tour de France”.