Richie Porte not only consolidated his Critérium du Dauphiné race lead on stage 7, but also gained time on the majority of his General Classification rivals, after a summit showdown on Alpe d’Huez.
“It was a good day. Attack is the best form of defence”, said Porte. “All I can say is my team worked incredibly today, especially Ben Hermans in the final. He covered the moves from the biggest riders. I tip my cap to each and everyone of my teammates today as they were incredible. From the neo pro Kilian Frankiny to Ben Hermans there in the final, without those guys it would have been impossible to put more time into guys like Chris Froome”.
“One more hard day left. I really want to win this race. Fulgsang came with me when I attacked and he is obviously riding well. I felt great all day and it makes sense when you feel good to go for it. I’m just happy with how it went.”
“The guys did such a good job on the penultimate climb that I came to the bottom of Alpe d’Huez with good legs. Some of the other guys attacked so I thought I would have a crack. It wasn’t always the plan to have a go. If you have good legs like I did today I think it’s probably worth trying to take some more time.”
“We can’t be complacent. Tomorrow is a short stage and I expect fireworks. It’s not over until it’s not. We are in a good position and the team is incredibly strong. I’d love to finish this off tomorrow, I’d love to win this race.”
