Pre-stage 10 quotes

Robbie McEwen (Davitamon) was spotted discreetly hiding behind a newspaper in the "Champion" marquee in the official village. Being the sponsor of the best climber competition, few would think to find him there.

"I got the girl to put the chairs in front to give me some peace but you found me anyway," Robbie quipped. It wasn't that difficult as the green jersey does stand out, even from behind the pages of L'Equipe.

Robbie went on to talk about the stage and felt that it wouldn't be a stage for the contenders but would be a dangerous day for him. As the final climb was 35 kilometres from the finish, he felt that Freire could be close enough to the main peloton to win the stage. But he wasn't too perturbed as he felt there would time to get those points back.

Cadel Evans (Davitamon) told us, "I'm looking forward to the Pyrenees. I've always preferred them to the Alps. It's just a shame we don't have more days here. Today won't be a day for the contenders. I reckon a break could get away and take the stage. But tomorrow is a different story."

Bradley Wiggins (Cofidis) said, "I've been enjoying it so far and we're half way now. The next week will be hard and I would like to come out of the mountains feeling good enough to do a strong time trial. But that's a long way off."