TOUR DE FRANCE - STAGE 20
 GUILLAUME MARTIN, 8th OVERALL:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The leader of the Cofidis team has managed to keep his 8th place in the overall classification. His time-trial allowed him to keep a lead over his closest rival, Pello Bilbao. Tomorrow afternoon, on the Champs-Élysées, he will finally be able to celebrate this 'top 10' which marks a new progression in his career.

He took a few seconds to calm down, with his head facing down, wiped his sweaty face and smiled. After crossing the finish line of the time trial in Saint-Émilion, Guillaume Martin could taste the joy of a job well done and of a plan followed thoroughly. And the result is obvious: by crossing the line in 39 min 37 sec, he keeps his 8th place in the general classification of the Tour de France.

A collective success story

The Normandy rider is now 31 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, the Spaniard Pello Bilbao. He also consolidates his position as best French rider in the general classification, a position he already held last year. His performance in the time trial, which is not his favourite exercise, also rewards the collective work done by the team' staff.

All of his team-mates also worked hard on the time trial, which was held in the extreme hot weather. Christophe Laporte, 2nd of the previous day's stage, was 8th in the provisional standings (38 min 57 sec). Anthony Pérez also did a very good time-trial: the rider from Toulouse finished 20th of the stage, 2 min 05 sec behind the winner of the day, Wout Van Aert.

However, the day is not over yet. The riders and the Cofidis staff are heading to Poitiers this evening. Tomorrow, the stage on the Champs-Élysées and the final stretch of the road will take place before the end of this Tour de France can be fully celebrated.

THEY SAID

Guillaume MARTIN, 8th overall : "Being the first French rider is not really important but being 8th in the general classification of the Tour de France is a real satisfaction. This place could not have been claimed before this last stage. The gap to Pello Bilbao was small but I fought hard for it. I didn't really feel good in this time-trial but I guess that was the case for Bilbao as well. The preparation of this time-trial was well managed with the support team and I would like to thank them, in particular Samuel Bellenoue. I would also like to thank the entire Cofidis team for the three weeks we have spent together. Certainly, it is an individual race, but it is also a great collective performance.            

Samuel Bellenoue, performance manager: "The objective of the day was to keep this 8th place and Guillaume managed to do so. We knew that Pello Bilbao was able to ride a bit faster than Guillaume. We couldn't control that but he managed to hold on well. We had chosen to make a careful start, which explains why Guillaume lost 15 seconds at the first intermediate point. Afterwards, he worked hard and until the end, he was riding as fast as Bilbao. That allows him to ensure his place and above all to enjoy his very good Tour de France".

STAGE 21
CHATOU - PARIS CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES (108,4 KM)

COFIDIS, BEHIND THE SCENES
By Mathilde L'Azou / Team Cofidis