Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) 12th on Stage 13, 1st overall
“The final climb, I did for the first time but it’s a nice one, it’s steep. I could see it already, from the bottom because it’s right up. It was short but hard to come to the top."
'Yeah of course, it was nice, a really nice day and I’m really happy."
"In the end, as long as you can gain time every second is good and to your advantage."
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 13th on Stage 13, 2nd overall + 44'
"I have to say yes," said Pogačar when asked if he was happy. "It’s been a really great day. I’m in white again, I’m really happy and to follow Roglič to go together on this climb it was a really great experience. It was similar to last year at the Vuelta, Stage 13 at Machucos, the feeling is great."
“I gained time on everyone except Roglič so I’m really happy."
“It’s a tough battle. On that last two kilometres I don’t think we were friends, we just wanted to get to the top. For sure we will see more attacking more rivalry in the next week."
(From UAE team interview) "Rocket start, it was really fast, it really, really hurt. It was a good job from the team they stayed with me all day. I felt good and I knew the climb. I tried to attack and I saw only Roglič could follow and I said ‘come on let’s go. We rode full gas and I think it was quite a good day."
Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 18th on Stage 13, 3rd overall +59'
“I did my best," said Bernal. "But the others were stronger than I was. I couldn't do more than this. I felt very good all day. The rest simply went faster."
"From now on I will look at it day by day. We must continue to focus and manage our efforts. In any case, I'm not giving up. We have to keep morale high and we do our best."
"That's the second time I've heard a rider say they were equal to or out-performing previous Tours. Those Slovenians are next-levelling it somehow."
Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R La Mondiale) - mountain classification leader
"I wasn't too sure about keeping this jersey on the stage, but I gave it everything I had to try and keep the jersey today. It was a very complicated day but I was here today for Romain Bardet. I was with him when he crashed - actually I wasn't sure he could get back on his bike. He seemed to be in a lot of pain."
"I think the fact that he was at home really motivated him but I think it was very hard for him to get to the finish of today's stage. He's out of the top 10, I don't really know, it's a real pity for him. I'm really sad for him."
"Tomorrow is a different battle and I hope to be a part of it but there'll come a moment where the legs will speak for me."
Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) 14th on Stage 13, 9th overall +2'06
"It's not nice," Porte said about Mollema's crash. "It sounds like a complicated injury, so we wish him all the best."
"Afterwards it's obviously hard to focus again on the race, but I think it went well for us. The guys put me in a really good position, and I had good legs today. It is very bittersweet, but the next two days are hard stages and I'm hopeful we can keep chipping away at the GC game."
"The penultimate climb was super hard. It's probably where the real explosion was. It was only in the last kilometre that I recognised the climb from the 2016 tour and it was an absolute grovel to the finish line."
"The two Slovenian guys (Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič) are the strongest guys here in this race, so to finish just behind them is a good result and put some time into the other guys in the top 10."
"It was really only the last two kilometres that were hard, so the time gaps were never going to be huge. I think Sunday on the Grand Colombier, that's where the time gaps are really going to be big."
Daniel Martínez (EF Education First) 1st on Stage
"When I heard that Powless was with Schachmann I felt pretty calm, but when they radioed through that Neilson had been dropped, I knew it was my duty to go look for him."
"When I went over the second category [Col de la Néronne] I thought I was fighting for second place, I was so far back. But then when we actually reached Schachmann on that last climb I thought it was possible again."
"I could see from the way they were looking they weren't in such great shape, but it was never going to be straightforward. Finally, though, I could get the win."
"I'm very pleased, winning the Dauphiné was incredible, but this has been a very tough Tour for me with the crashes and so on. But I knew my underlying form was there, so I still wanted a stage win at least."
The 2020 Tour de France continues with Stage 14, a 194-kilometre day in the mountains of the Massif Central, from Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon. Watch the race on the SBS ŠKODA Tour Tracker, SBS HD and SBS On Demand with coverage starting from 8.30 AEST.
