Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto), stage winner yelling after passing the finish line: "It's in the pocket! I've showed what I can do!!"
Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) second in today's stage: "The sprint was OK; I think I left it a bit too long to go. If you analyse the sprint, I should have gone before the bump there. Robbie probably wouldn't have passed me if I went full speed that bit earlier. But I'm happy with this. We're the two quickest men here and each one of us is getting his share so it's the nicest that way.
"It's no shame to come second behind McEwen, he is one of the fastest men in the peloton. QuickStep and Davitamon-Lotto are the only two teams able to do it in the sprint here. We are the best teams in the sprint and the press shouldn't try and fire things up between us (referring to the mattress ad in the papers today). The riders in both teams get along really well."
Johan Vansummeren (Davitamon-Lotto), 137th in today's stage: "This is a big relief. Robbie was so sure that it was possible. He kept telling us not to panic, that he was good. And he did it. It was a fast race, but it went well. I still feel my legs from yesterday but I wouldn't be the only one."
Marc Sergeant, Davitamon-Lotto directeur sportif: "This is a weight falling off our shoulders. I've come to the Tour with Robbie for three years now and I felt he was at his best this time; but the win didn't come yet. We knew that the finishing straight was dangerous, Robbie knew that too. He waited in Boonen's wheel long enough and came around him nicely. It was urgent for him to have this win and in the next bunch sprint it will be easier for him now. He had been too sure of himself before the Tour, but now he's focused again. We trust Robbie; we take him to the Giro and the Tour and he delivers every time. We gave him the best possible team to help him."
On McEwen's green jersey chances, which the sprinter rates as low, Sergeant said, "Robbie had the green in Paris last year too, after a crash. So, with the Tour being three weeks long anything is possible." Davitamon's DS also commented on the team's GC rider: "Cadel Evans has been very nervous, before the first TT and then again yesterday. It's normal, it being his first Tour. His confidence is growing every day and I think we'll see Cadel very soon."
