"I'm longing for the end of this Tour," Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere told Sporza Radio on the rest day. His team first lost star sprinter Tom Boonen due to injuries sustained during a couple of unfortunate crashes and now has only five riders left.
"Is this frustrating?" asked Lefevere. "Well, for a few riders there's mitigating circumstances. Boonen was injured. Cretskens and Hulsmans were riding their first tour. They both will understand now that they have got a lot of work to do still. But I have to speak in their defence: they were riding at the front for a whole week. Of course everyone has forgotten that already. Jean-Marie Pfaff [legendary Belgian soccer goal-keeper] said it once: people only remember for a fortnight.
