Simon Geschke (Giant-Alpecin) let out a roar celebration as he crossed the finish line Pra-Loup and showed plenty of emotion after his stage victory, admitting after a few tears that this was the biggest day of his cycling career.
The Giant-Alpecin team has struggled to make an impact in this year’s Tour de France without sprinter Marcel Kittel, but the bearded German rider ensured he was in the big break of the day and then went on the attack before the decisive Col d’Allos. He dived down the twisting descent and then held off chasers of the calibre of Andrew Talansky and Rigoberto Uran to win alone.
“I was allowed my own chance to go in the break, but I think the team never expected me to win. Today is simply the best day in my life, of my professional cycling life. It’s unreal. I’ll need a few days to understand what I’ve done. It’s a dream to win because I knew the only way to win was in the break and felt that today was today,” he said in the post-stage winner’s press conference.