“Today I lived a very difficult day, surely the most complicated in this Tour de France”.
These words by Rui Costa summarize perfectly what the 14th stage has been for the world champion and for Team LAMPRE-MERIDA.
The 177 km from Grenoble to Risoul, with Col du Lautaret, Col d’Izoard and the summit arrival on a 1st category Gpm recored large gaps for Rui Costa, 24th at 4’46″ to the winner Majka, and for Chris Horner, 55th at 13’39″.
In the overall classification, Rui Costa is 13th at 12’57″, Horner is 22nd at 23’59″ to Nibali.
“When you’r facing such huge efforts, it could be simple to give up, but I don’t want to surrender - Rui Costa said - I fought with the aim of completing the stage in the best possible way: on such demanding course and with the problem of bronchitis, it was not possible to do better than this.
I thank my team and my mates for the support, I’ll try to live better days in this Tour de France in order to give them a satisfaction”.
LAMPRE-MERIDA lost a goood climber such Rafael Valls: because of a knee tendinitis, the Spanish rider had to quit the race.
The only blue-fuchsia-green cyclist that could be consider as good his stage is Josè Serpa (photo Bettini), who was protagonist in the breakaway of 17 riders that led the race for most of the course.
