DEIGNAN’S INCREDIBLE VUELTA!
Catching up with Cervélo’s Irishman, Philipp Deignan. (part 2.)
When you won stage 18, it was cold and wet. How was that?
Growing up in Ireland helped. I know you have to wrap up warm at the beginning, then just get the bad weather out of your head.
You were very active in the group of 16 riders that went away, did you feel especially good?
I was very comfortable over the first cat climb.
Kreuziger attached on a descent, you followed and that is how you two got away. Did you have to take risks?
No, the roads were drying out by then. There were good wide bends, and it was a good time to go because everyone relaxed after the climb.
Can you take us through the final?
Kreuziger attached with 500 meters to go, I caught him and sat on. Then, I went with 200m to go, but what you couldn’t see on the television was that the last bit was slightly uphill, and I think he ran out of energy on that.
Has finishing ninth in a Grand Tour changed the wasy you see yourself as a bike rider?
It’s made me think, I gained a lot of time on the stage I won, but I lost a lot during the first week due to illness. Overall I was quiet constant.
Read the rest of the interview, part 1.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6NhBJnoHa0[/youtube]