Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo) finished 11th in the Grenoble time trial to secure ninth overall in his debut Tour de France but he could hardly believe what he had achieved immediately after he crossed the finish line.
The 33-year-old American was stunned and overjoyed after three weeks of hard racing. He had handled all the pressure and expectation and couldn't stop himself from letting out a few swear words, such was his amazement.
He especially thanked his family for their support before revealing he had never even visited Paris. On Sunday he will ride into the French capital as a top-ten finisher of the Tour de France and feel the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées under his wheels as he tries to help Tyler Farrar win the final sprint.
He is set to end the Tour de France 8:15 behind Cadel Evans (BMC) and will also climb on the final podium after Garmin-Cervélo secured the team classification.
