Van Niekerk: 'I believed right to the end'

May 5 ^th 2024 - 18:58

Morné Van Niekerk (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93): 'If you are at the front here, we know that you don't use up any more energy than you do at the back, and you can even keep it up if you get it right. We were a good group, and what's more, it was the biggest breakaway I've ever experienced here. That helped me enormously. I was a few kilometres short. I'm pleased to get another top 10 here. But I'm gutted about the sprint. I was still feeling pretty good, but then I got pinned up against the barriers when I started to overtake. I'm gutted. I was so close. It hurts not to succeed because I thought I could win it, and then the door closed. It's a huge disappointment. Yes, I believed I could win the sprint. At almost 50 metres from the line, I knew that I was in a good position and that there were not 50 team members behind me. They'd have to use up their legs to come after me, too. I kept pushing, but then I was caught, and in the sprint, as I said, I was still feeling good. I believed right to the end.'