TdF News – Etixx Quickstep

Mark Cavendish at the Tour de France “I’d like to get more than one victory because I love winning”

TdF News – Etixx Quickstep

One of the many press conferences being held before the Tour de France begins in Netherlands on Saturday was the one for Etixx – Quick-Step where the riders met with the media.

Mark Cavendish told the press “it’s no secret that I love the Tour de France. I’ve won a lot here and I’d like to get more than one victory because I love winning. But even one stage win at the Tour de France can be enough in a career for one rider”.

“So I am not really going to be disappointed if I don’t win multiple stages. Etixx â€“ Quick-Step is here this year with nine strong riders who have different types of stages and situations that can suit them. The Tour de France is 21 days. We’ve got a superb team who can win on several of those 21 days, whether it be the sprints, the cobbles, the stages with short punchy climbs, or the time trials”.

“If we can, we can go in and be successful, and come away with multiple stage wins. It doesn’t have to be me that actually gets those victories. I am looking forward to going into this Tour de France, seeing what we are capable of, and hopefully we can be successful as a team”.

Tony Martin (three times world TT Champion): “My main objective for Le Tour is the opening time trial in Utrecht tomorrow. Everyone is thinking about me and Tom Dumoulin as the big contenders, but I think there are a lot more riders who can do well on Saturday. Fabian Cancellara and Rohan Dennis are also strong competitors, and there are many others as well”.

“It will be a nice fight and we will see what happens. But I’ve analyzed the course for tomorrow with the help of my team, and I know it really well. It’s not too short, and not too long. I’m really happy with the parcours. I really like it and I’m looking forward to seeing it up close tomorrow”.

“The condition is really good. The shape is where it should be. I am looking forward to Saturday. My next race objective is the team time trial of the 9th Stage. But I am not just here for myself. I am also here to support my teammates. We have nine strong riders who can have their chances at this race. I am also here to help them in a good moment.

Michal Kwiatkowski (World Champion): Talking about the stage 1 time trial, the road race champion of the world says “it’s especially hard to compete against guys like Tony Martin in the time trial but I think I can do really well if I am able to repeat my condition from the first half of the season”.

“I am not sure if I am 100 percent going into this edition of the Tour de France but of course I did everything I could to be in the best shape possible when I arrived here at this race. Since the Ardennes Classics, I focused on Le Tour as my next big objective. I want to do my best tomorrow and see how I feel day-by-day”.

Rigoberto Uran, the teams stage hopeful in the mountains says of his aims for the race, “I think I am good. I am here to support the team in the first week and then we will see what I can do in the second part of the race. A stage victory will be really be icing on the cake”.

“I really would like to get one victory at Le Tour. I have good memories of this race when I wore the white jersey a few years ago. To me, as a Colombian guy, it is really a dream to be here and defend the colors of Etixx – Quick-Step in the best race in the world”.

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