AG2R La Mondiale had two men on the podium after the stage in Vuelta a Burgos. Lloyd Mondory took his first victory since a stage win in Etoile de Besseges in 2011. The AG2R rider won ahead of Vicente Reynes of IAM and team-mate Sebastian Turgot.

Lloyd Mondory says the stage win of today was announced as a team goal and that he believed in his sprint after his performances in the last weeks.

“The stage win was today clearly announced as the team’s goal. We knew that in the case of a final sprint I will be able to win in view of my results for twenty days. A breakaway could also be successful and Axel Domont has done a good job from the start in order to be present in the daily breakaway. Some dangerous riders for the overall standings were present in this group and the pack decided to keep in place a steady tempo to maintain the gap.”

He praises the whole team for a fantastic job during the stage which turned out to end with a stage win.

“At this point, the possibility to see a small group to compete for stage win is starting to get important, especially because a difficulty was placed twenty kilometers from the finish and some riders could try to make a difference in this climb. The team rode perfectly and we caught Axel at the foot of the bump. Blel (Kadri), Rinaldo (Nocentini), Seb Minard and Seb Turgot has worked well. Blel attacked in the climb to speed the pace up and leave behind some more riders. A small group arrived at the summit before tackling the descent. Blel has been caught five kilometers from the finish. Then, Rinaldo has perfectly organized the last two kilometers to permit me to be in the best conditions to sprint.“

He dedicates his victory to his friend, the deceased Kristof Goddaert, who died in a training accident in February this year.

“The “two” Sebastien brought me well and finally, I had need to pedal only during 200 meters to go to win! I thank all my teammates because it’s above all the victory of a team that assumed its responsibilities in the final part and that successfully concluded. That’s a great time for me and the team. I’m in a very good shape and I obtain good results since the “Régions Wallonnes”. My 4th place on the 1st stage of this Vuelta a Burgos gave me a boost of confidence and that’s important when you work to win. I had ups and downs after my surgery and regain the confidence was essential. Today, I’m happy for myself, for the team and for my family who supported me. I also think about my friend Kristof Goddaert who passed away this year.”