Marcel Kittlel said that his third victory in the 100th Tour De France meant a lot to him.
The Argos Shimano rider out-sprinted Mark Cavendish to record his third victory on stage twelve which finished in Tours.
“This win today means a lot to me,” said Kittel to his team's website. “It’s the third win for the team, which is incredible. The team again did a really good job. They worked hard and kept me out of the wind all day. In the final kilometers it was our train against Omega Pharma - Quick-Step. When the last lead-out man pulled off I jumped to the right wheels and had a very good position when Mark Cavendish (GBR) started the sprint. I stayed calm and was able to overtake him in the end, but it was very close.
“Today it was great to beat Cavendish in a straightforward sprint. In the final 200m I was able to sit on his wheel. We started the sprint together, and I had the best punch at the end.
“We’ve done a good job so far, and I’m proud to know that I can beat the world’s best. Before the Tour we knew the team worked and we had prepared well, but when everything falls into place like this it is incredible. We’ve been working a long time for this, so these three wins are a big reward.”
“Victory number three is as beautiful as the first two,” said Team Manager Iwan Spekenbrink right after the race. “Marcel and the team are just outstanding at the moment. All our preparations and efforts have come together in this Tour de France, which makes it even more beautiful. We see that teamwork can make the difference, especially in sprinting. That’s why we’ve spent so much time and effort bringing the right individuals together and helping them develop them in their positions, training on tactics, and giving them full guidance.”
“Incredible! What a day,” said coach Rudi Kemna. “We knew we had a good opportunity again today with Marcel, so we took responsibility and helped control the race. Marcel is in top shape at the moment, so even in a long, straight finish he is really strong and fast. The team around him also contributed to this success, of course, and with this third win we can see that our way of working really pays off.
“You can see that our guys are getting more confident and believe in themselves. With success comes more pressure, but we can handle it and we are happy to get this pressure. Hopefully this well-oiled machine will keep on rolling and we can aim for more success.”