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Interviews

Hincapie’s Sensational Yellow Bonus

He finished the prologue a fraction of a second behind Thor Hushovd but today Discovery Channel’s George Hincapie made amends for the disappointment of coming so close to the overall lead. He chased a time bonus at an intermediate sprint with nine kilometers to race, earned two seconds and claimed the yellow jersey.

I was very disappointed to lose yesterday by such a small margin. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was thinking of everything that I could have done to improve on my time.
To get the yellow jersey today today is a great honour and I’m really pleased with that it all came together.
With the breakaway gone, we didn’t think about chasing time bonuses. I knew that, coming into the finish, the sprinters teams would be in control and saving themselves for the final sprint so I thought, ‘Why not try?’ And it was a good decision (to chase the time bonuses at the intermediate sprint with nine kilometers to go).
I knew I was less than a second behind in the general classification and to get two seconds was all I needed.
I started off the tour in great shape and I’ve never has the opportunity to lead a team. I don’t know what to expect but I know that anything is possible, there’s not reason to set limits. I don’t know how I’ll respond but I’ll just hope for the best.

 

A Dream Come True For Casper

By bursting ahead of more favored sprinters, in the final 50 meters Jimmy Casper has given those who believed in him something to savour.

It’s a dream come true for me today. The emotion of battling it out with riders like Tom Boonen and Robbie McEwen was overwhelming in the last 50 meters. That’s what really gave me the power to bring it home well.
I knew I was really strong in training. This morning I had a discussion with the directeur sportif and I told him I had good legs.
I have to thank my father and brother for the work they’ve done to help me get this great reward. They are always there to help me train: they sacrifice a lot for me and this is a great prize to give them in return for their commitment.

 
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