"I never thought I could win" - Geoffrey Soupe as shocked as anyone after sprinting to Vuelta a Espana stage win

You would have had long odds for a Geoffrey Soupe victory at the start of stage 7 at the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. Nevertheless, that is indeed what transpired, the TotalEnergies leadout man powering to the win.

"This is unbelievable," the disbelieving 35-year-old says in his post-stage interview after securing a first Grand Tour stage win of his career. "Normally I would never ride this Vuelta. But due to an injury to a teammate I was able to go. But I never thought I could win."

Having spent the majority of the Vuelta so far looking after Dries van Gestel, Soupe took the chance for himself on this occasion and prevailed in a chaotic and crash-marred finale to the stage.

"I should actually put on the sprint for Dries van Gestel, but he was no longer there. I was in the lead and I was surprised that no one came over," he admits. “In the run-up to the sprint it was very nervous with roundabouts and the sprint itself was very fast. The wind also played a role."