Sam Bennett
"The guys were incredible"
"The guys were incredible and Oliver (Naesen) did a fantastic job, we were in a really good position. In the end, I was coasting for the last 200 to 250 metres waiting for it to open up and it never did. I was never able to get out, so it's pretty frustrating after 230 kilometers. In a way, it's nice to know that it was possible to win today, on the other hand, it's quite frustrating because there are only seven chances left."
Sébastien Joly
"Sam had the podium in his legs".
"Unfortunately we lost Bruno (Armirail) with a puncture at first, then he came to a traffic circle and fell with 6.6 km to go. After that, Dorian (Godon) and Paul (Lapeira ) did a great job and Oliver (Naesen ) was incredible, replacing Sam (Bennett ) less than 350 metres from the line. Sam senses that it's a little too early, so naturally he puts himself back in the slipstream a little. Then you think you've got the opening, and then it closes up. It's a shame, because objectively speaking, I think he had the podium in his legs, if not better.
18
The number
Like Felix Gall's place in the overall Tour de France standings, 21 seconds behind leader Richard Carapaz and in Primož Roglič's group.
