Edvald Boasson Hagen: It's frustrating to come so close and not win
Jul 13 2017 02:02 am CET
Photo of Edvald Boasson Hagen by Dimension Data/Nick Muzik
Edvald Boasson Hagen praised his teammates for their hard work in the 11th stage of the Tour de France, but was visibly disappointed with his third place.
The Dimension Data rider was in a good position until the last meters but couldn't avoid being surpassed by Marcel Kittel and Dylan Groenewegen. Boasson Hagen swung his arm in the air in frustration as he crossed the line.
"I hoped to get the victory but in the last meters I could see that I was not going to get one, Boasson Hagen told Procycling.no.
"It is a good feeling to fight for the win. And the team gave me good support today. It's too bad that I couldn't do it. But he (Kittel) is fast. There isn't much else to say," he continued.
"He is the quickest sprinter here. But I am incredibly pleased with the team which did a fantastic job at the end. We had a plan to be at the front towards the end and we managed it."
In a declaration posted by Dimension Data, the Norwegian said that his teammate Mark Cavendish would likely have done well in this stage.
"Once again, the leadout was so good," he explained. "I just didn't have big enough gears for the sprint. It's frustrating to come so close and not win, especially when the team does such a great job. However, Kittel is clearly very strong. It's a pity we don't have Mark (Cavendish) at the end of our leadout because the way the guys are working, Mark would definitely have been challenging Kittel here."
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