The first Tour de France is an important stage in the career of any rider. The first week of a Tour de France is a test of luck. Unfortunately, Alexander Vlasov and many other runners did not avoid serious crashes during the first week of the Grande Boucle. We talked to him about how it all happened.
– Sasha, it seems to me, so far the only important question is how do you feel after the fall?
– Always like that. I hope it gets better and better, but for now I feel a little heavy on the bike. There is still inflammation, I drink antibiotics.
– For those who have not seen the fall, can you tell how it all happened?
– 8 km before the finish line there was such a dangerous bend. I didn’t even understand what happened then – we were already driving fast. Everyone wanted to be in a good position before the finish line. They braked sharply in front of me, probably, someone was afraid of a small splitter in the middle, and I flew without brakes and flew into it. Tear down.
– It’s a pity, no doubt, to fall at this stage after everything went well on the cobbles.
– That’s for sure. This is the last stage before the start of the mountains, then the fall. We really managed to pass the cobblestones. Yes, there was a puncture, but there was a lot of time before the finish line, and I came back calmly in the group. Failure came the next day.
Is it a configuration called the first week of the Tour de France?
– It’s her!
What are your plans and hopes now? People ask you what is the top 5. What do you think now? Just to let go?
“I just want to wake up and feel no pain. Let go of the rest of the thoughts. It is important to recover and not waste a lot of time during this time.
– From the terrible falls of the first week – (Primoz) Roglic under the wheels of the peloton. Where were you at that time?
– I didn’t even see this moment live – only one blockage waiting for me. The guys helped a lot and I was in front in position, except for this puncture incident. I saw this episode purely from photos and highlights.
How were your first three days in Denmark?
There were a lot of people, it looked dangerous. The stages were nervous, but went fairly calmly. Also, there was not much wind. This bridge, of which everyone was afraid, we passed it without incident.
– Now on a day off, what did the doctors say to do? “After training, lie down and don’t move”?
– Today, I slept as long as I wanted. Chasik rode calmly, in order to chat a little with his feet. Now I’m resting, some interviews and a massage.
– Is there a time during the week when it will be possible to ride relatively calmly?
– Except tomorrow. Then more serious steps. Soon Alpe d’Huez. It’s going to be a busy week.
– Can you already say that the Tour de France is not just one of the Grand Tours, that everything is different here?
Already told the guys about it (laughing). Compared to the Giro that I ran last year, it’s much more stressful. Here you can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and everything will fall apart. The Giro is not so stressful, the atmosphere is different. There is a lot more attention and everything is a little different.
— What are the fans writing? Do you have a lot of messages?
– Not really. But everyone writes, “Hold on, don’t give up.” I will hold on, of course. I hope to recover as soon as possible.
Source : MatchTV
