Förster: The others were dead, too

Gerolsteiner sprinter Robert Förster reported in his Tour diary for radsportnews.com that he slept very well but woke up stiff with his injuries from the previous day's crash now showing its after effects. "But the longer I rode the better it got. And in the end there is so much adrenaline that you don't feel anything anyway."

He described that in the final kilometre he was well-placed in the bunch, behind teammate Haussler, who was right on the wheel of green jersey holder Tom Boonen. "But after 230km and then going over cobble stones I didn't feel fresh and told Haussler to go. However, at 700 metres he was with them again, not having realized that "the others were just as dead." At 300 metres he was 'rested' again. But now he didn't want to tell Haussler he changed his mind, also the latter revealed after the race that he [Förster] should have said something about the need for a leadout. The experienced German sprint star added that "it goes so quickly in the end, you can't think much."

Förster was very impressed with what Cancellara, who had a "very strong showing."