The Dauphiné is over. The last stage to Courcheval was again heavy with four climbs. “But the riders made it still more difficult,” says Zdenek, who finished with the grupetto an half hour after stage winner Mikel Nieve.
“Today was that kind of stage that you hope that will never happen. It was full gas from the start until the first climb, where the peloton broke up in pieces. From that moment on, several teams, especially Saxo Bank and Sky, attacked with a few riders together. That made the race very hard.”
The favorites fought for the general classification and the rest was left behind. “I was in a group of 100 riders. We didn’t know if we were the peloton or the grupetto. Anyway: I finished in that group. Andrew Talansky was eventually the best overall. Congratulations to him.”
“I’m very satisfied about my condition. It was better every day. Now It’s Sunday evening and I am on the way to the airport. I’ll take two days in Belgium and then leave with Ine to the Czech Republic. There follows my next goal: the national championships.”