Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) – stage winner
“It’s an honour to win a stage in the Giro and to wear the pink jersey. There are a few moments in your career as a sprinter where you can get hold of the leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour. You can feel a euphoric pink atmosphere here in Italy and even more because it’s the one hundred edition. They are totally in love with cycling so to wear this pink jersey on stage was an incredible feeling.”
“We didn’t really count on a sprint today but obviously we had a plan. We hoped a small group would escape from the bunch and that Bora would control the gap, and they did. The pace on the long climb was doable. I expected more attacks from the better descenders inthe bunch, but the headwind on the climb and in the finale played in the advantage of the sprinters.”
“In the descent it was important to stay focused and not to be surprised by splits in the peloton. In the finale I pushed myself forward and with the support of my teammates I reached the front of the bunch. We got an unexpected opportunity to sprint again. Just like yesterday, at four and a halve kilometres from the finish, there was a crucial point with small and twisty roads. It was key to be at the front of the bunch and we were. Jasper De Buyst pulled the sprint well, but I felt I would end up too early in front, so I let Mezgec in between. I ended up winning the stage and this was an amazing feeling.”
“For the team and myself this is very special. It has been a difficult season so far. A Belgian team is expected to show itself in the Classics and we didn’t this year. Our next goal was to straighten our backs for the rest of the season and this is a great start. To be honest, our Giro is already a success but of course now we want more. But let us enjoy this victory and the pink jersey first.”
Roberto Ferrari (UAE Team Emirates)
“This was a tricky sprint that definitely gave an unexpected result” said Ferrari. “My legs felt great and I am pleased placing second. Modolo, who had some cramps during the final climb, lost the position in the final sprint. After I was part of the lead group I gave my best to remain at the front of the bunch sprint. I’m very satisfied with my results and the great performance of the entire team in the climbs and descents. We are looking forward to tomorrow where we are aiming to have another top result.”
Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo)
“I think I did a good sprint and I am happy with the result since it wasn’t the best day for me with the headwind,” said Stuyven. “I was hoping for a harder stage, so I was happy when Bahrain (Merida) started to pull really hard on the bumps after the cat-2 climb and made it really hard. So at least it was a little bit of suffering.”
“It was a good sprint, a tailwind,” explained Stuyven. “I think I was too far back with one kilometer to go and I was lucky to grab a rider’s wheel who was riding to the front. I like to get in the mix, and like I said I need harder stages so that sprinters like Greipel are dropped. If not, I just try and make the best of it, and sometimes it ends up in a nice podium.”
Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-hansgrohe)
“We decided to try again something on the last kilometers if possible. Rudi delivered me perfectely on the last k, put the pace was already too high to go again. Lotto-Soudal did a perfect leadout and I tried to go Greipels wheel then. But I didn’t have the legs or speed to challenge him in the end. It was a wonderful day in Pink here in the 100th edition of the Giro. Now I still have the White Jersey, for me that’s perfect and I think we can be satisfied.”
Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott)
“To be honest I can’t exactly remember what happened,” Ewan said of the finale. “When I bumped into (Gaviria) my foot came out of the pedal and obviously at that point in the race it’s going to be pretty hard to get your foot back in and continue sprinting.”
“I’m devastated to be honest but if I can take something out of the last couple of days it is my form. It’s hard to tell after two days exactly how everyone is going but I think I can say I am up there with the top guys.”
Daniel Teklehaimanot (Dimension Data)
“I want to thank the team for giving me this chance. Yesterday I tried hard in the break but I didn’t get anything, today I won. I think I was a little fortunate as I was getting tired on the last climb and the peloton was coming. I just saved as much energy as I could and then gave it everything just before the top. The climb was important as it had the most points. It’s unbelievable to have taken the jersey in the Tour de France and in this special 100th Giro d’Italia. It is incredible to be on the podium of these grand tours and I am very happy today.”
