Despite having to settle for just a single stage win after taking four victories in both 2013 and 2014, Giant-Alpecin are very pleased with the outcome of the Tour de France.

“It was an outstanding Tour de France for the team," coach Mark Reef said. "In the last two editions of the Tour we won four stages each, but only flat stages that ended in bunch sprints. In this year’s Tour we have been competitive in different types of stages, which is new for us. Those who judge a team’s performance strictly on victories will say we’ve come up short this year by winning ‘only’ one stage, but it was our first mountain stage win in a Grand Tour, which is very special. Moreover, it is really satisfying to see how the team has developed and how we were competitive in the time trial, in the cobblestone stage, in the mountain stages, in sprints and even in difficult finishes.

“We were very close to the yellow jersey with Tom [Dumoulin]. Of course, his crash was a setback. First because we lost Tom and second because the chance to take yellow was extraordinary, and you never know when the next opportunity may occur. It may take years. Tom’s crash was a blow to the team, and everyone was disappointed. But the guys really did a great job of making the switch and fighting for other opportunities.

“We had various chances for stage success on the days that followed, and each day we battled for the win or at least animated the race. It did not work out immediately, but nevertheless the atmosphere in the team was excellent and we had faith that our day would come. And finally it happened with Simon [Geschke]. He is a real team player, and everyone was so happy about the fact that he finally got rewarded for all the work he always does for the team. It was a perfect day.

“The icing on the cake would have been a top 10 in the final GC for our young Frenchman Warren [Barguil]. He finished 14th in Paris, as he blew up on the climb to La Toussuire on Friday due to youthful exuberance. It was no problem because he was here to learn and it has been a great experience for him.

“We won a mountain stage with Simon, we were very close to the yellow jersey and Warren proved that he is a very talented GC rider for the future. So I can safely say that our Tour de France was outstanding.”