Stage 12 delivered a very dramatic finale with a mass crash and the abandon of Primoz Roglic. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider's withdraw marked the words of many at the start of stage 13, but many also wondered about the effects of the wind and hills on a day that on paper would traditionally have the sprinters fight for victory.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe DS Rolf Aldag (ITV Cycling): "Primoz had two crashes, the impact on his body was too great to continue. He has no fracture or concussion, but we think it was not the right solution to restart him. As a team, we are very disappointed for him. He said goodbye and thanked everyone, the riders and the staff, it was important for him and he recognizes all the efforts we made."
"Now we will have to refocus on the race, with new objectives, we still have six world-class riders and there are great things to do. We must respect the race and the riders, who spent ten weeks away from home to prepare for this objective. Stage 11 made us quite optimistic for the next mountain stages, as we saw Primoz with good legs and a warrior mentality. The team believed in him. Our goal was to get through the stages without any problems until now, to ride conservatively, but just when we really wanted to start our Tour, Primoz's ended. Primoz is like being chased by bad luck, but what's impressive about him is that he always gets back up. He's a fighter."
Mathieu van der Poel (Wielerflits): “Yesterday I didn’t have the best day again, which is a shame because I would have liked to help Jasper [Philipsen] in the sprint preparation. I suffered quite a bit. I was also behind a crash, but I don’t know if I could have done much for the rest. It’s a shame, we have limited opportunities and I would have liked to have done a good lead-out for Jasper again. Hopefully today.”
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“My health is normal. You always get a bit tired in a Grand Tour, but I have the impression that there are a lot of sick riders. My nose was a bit blocked, but not like last year. You see it in our team, but also in the rest of the peloton. You see some riders dropping earlier than they should, then you know they are not one hundred percent.”
“The wind is only increasing, there are a few open sections. Jasper still has the legs to win the sprint. In the difficult stage, with a slightly uphill finish where Jasper comes second, I could also sprint if I had good legs, but I didn't. Jasper is our best chance.”
Wout van Aert (Wielerflits): “It could be a nervous stage. If it ends in a sprint, it will be one that suits me. If there is a bit more suffering during the day, that will be to my advantage. It is a bit the other way around than yesterday. The tougher part is now at the end of the stage. I do not expect a large group to ride to the finish. It will be a tough last hour. My legs are still good for now.”
Jasper Philipsen (Wielerflits): “I feel good, these have been difficult days. I have certainly suffered, but this is a new day and new legs. In itself, I can handle that succession of difficult stages. Today is a new opportunity, which I want to try to take. The really toughest part of the Tour is yet to come.”
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“You always try to aim as high as possible. The opportunities that have passed, have passed. We try to take the ones that are in front of us. I hope for that second stage win.”
Soudal - Quick-Step DS Tom Steels (Sporza): "His (Primoz Roglic, ed.) withdrawal is primarily a shame for our sport. Roglic always brings spectacle. On the other hand, we shouldn't be coy about it: this increases the chance of a podium and now we can race a bit more defensively. You've never done anything else with him. That doesn't mean that we underestimate the rest, but towards a podium this is not bad."
"No, we absolutely did not say "yes" after his withdrawal. A colleague who falls is never good. Remco has always ridden his own course and his own pace. But with a bad day, you now have a bit more margin. You can lose some time without it being catastrophic, but it remains a tough battle to hold on to that top 3."
Victor Campenaerts (Wielerflits): “It is up to us as a non-WorldTeam to try to win. In the mountain stages that are coming up now, the really tough ones, Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates will win many of the stages. That has also been evident in the past tough stages. For the rest, sometimes smaller teams won, but not small riders. We do not have much confidence in the sprint. We will try to be present in the many attack attempts. If it does end in a sprint, we still have Arnaud [De Lie] in reserve. But I do not think it will be a royal sprint.”
“It is a nice stage to be in the breakaway. We have to see how the peloton will behave, because it will be very nervous with the crosswind. It could also be that in the final 15 riders from the peloton join the breakaway. If the peloton is nervous, they ride 60 kilometers per hour, then there is a big fight to sit in the front rows. Then the advantage of the breakaway melts like snow in the sun.”
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