CyclingQuotes.com uses cookies for statistics and targeting ads. This information is shared with third parties.
ACCEPT COOKIES » MORE INFO »

Every day we bring you more pro-cycling news

"They told me on the radio that if I could get over the climb first, I would have a good chance of taking the polka-dot jersey, so I didn't hesitate and I went hard to get the points.”

Photo: Sirotti

DIRECT ENERGIE

TEAM PROFILE
|
NEWS

PIERRE ROLLAND

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

TOUR DE FRANCE

RACE PROFILE
|
NEWS
01.07.2013 @ 08:37 Posted by Jesper Ralbjerg

On the attack on the penultimate climb of stage two, Pierre Rolland (Europcar) crossed the summit in pole position to secure the polka dot jersey on an eventful day at the Tour de France.

 

Rolland attacked on the third ascent of the day, 62km from the finish, to open up a gap of 30 seconds over the peloton ahead of a long descent towards the finish in the birthplace of Napoleon.

 

The 26-year-old climber took the first polka dot jersey of his career by virtue of the climb's difficulty, with Kadri (AG2R) level on points after picking up points over the first two lower-category climbs earlier in the stage. Rolland also explained that the KOM jersey was not his primary objective of this Tour and that he would be focusing on the general classification instead. When the opportunity to take the jersey presented itself, though, Rolland did not hesitate.

 

“We knew before the stage that points were up for grabs in the King of the Mountains competition,” Rolland told L’Equipe. “We had David Veilleux going for them in the first escape. When we were one kilometre from the top of the final climb, they told me on the radio that if I could get over the climb first, I would have a good chance of taking the polka-dot jersey, so I didn't hesitate and I went hard to get the points,” the Frenchman explained. “I'm going to try to get through the final stage in Corsica without any difficulty and then we'll see how things look after that. But even if my hold on this jersey is temporary, the Tour's King of the Mountains jersey is really something special. I'll be very proud wearing it tomorrow.”

 

In addition, Rolland acknowledged that he had struggled somewhat in the heat on stage 2 in what was a very intense day of racing. "It was a hard day. These short stages are very tough, much more so than some of the longer ones, because the pace is so high throughout," said the Frenchman.

MORE NEWS:

VIEW SELECTED

Bycykling 101: Navigering i byens gader og cykelvenlige... 27.11.2023 @ 12:11The Best Danish Cyclist To Bet On At 2022 Tour De France 13.01.2022 @ 15:262022 Upcoming Tournament Overview 03.01.2022 @ 09:45Best Place to Find Stand-Up Paddleboards 16.06.2021 @ 08:16What are Primoz Roglic’s Chances to Win 2021 Tour de Fr... 17.03.2021 @ 08:37Amazing victory by young champion Sarah Gigante 04.02.2021 @ 14:21Three reasons why cycling is one of the best ways to ex... 28.09.2020 @ 12:03Why do businesses use meeting room managers? 14.09.2020 @ 13:42Five things that you can do, if you want to gain more f... 20.08.2020 @ 15:38One for the road 09.06.2020 @ 15:25List of CyclingQuotes previews 07.05.2020 @ 13:20Blue Energy: room for all interests 26.08.2019 @ 12:56Get your daily dose of exercise at home 08.07.2019 @ 10:443 good advice to be able to afford your favorite bike 25.02.2019 @ 12:32Cycle through gorgeous landscapes 22.10.2018 @ 21:41Balance Your Economy and Diet and Start Saving Money 08.10.2018 @ 11:18Stay Safe: 3 Helmets That Can Keep Your Head Protected... 20.07.2018 @ 07:59Planning to bet on Tour De France - Bet types and strat... 24.05.2018 @ 14:18Basics of cycling betting 25.10.2017 @ 13:10Bauer moves to ORICA-SCOTT 28.08.2017 @ 10:45End of the road for CyclingQuotes 08.01.2017 @ 16:00Rui Costa confirms Giro participation 07.01.2017 @ 12:55Van Avermaet: I am not afraid of Sagan 07.01.2017 @ 09:45Unchanged course for E3 Harelbeke 07.01.2017 @ 09:32Jenner takes surprise win at Australian U23 Championships 07.01.2017 @ 08:53No replacement for Meersman at Fortuneo-Vital Concept 06.01.2017 @ 19:14Barguil with two goals in 2017 06.01.2017 @ 19:06More details about French Vuelta start emerges 06.01.2017 @ 14:16Kristoff to start season at Etoile de Besseges 06.01.2017 @ 14:10Ion Izagirre announces schedule for first year at Bahrain 06.01.2017 @ 12:40JLT Condor optimistic for Herald Sun Tour 06.01.2017 @ 09:19Haas leads Dimension Data trio in fight for Australian... 06.01.2017 @ 09:15Sagan spearheads Bora-hansgrohe at Tour Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:12Henao and Thomas lead Sky Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:09Bauer crowned New Zealand TT champion 06.01.2017 @ 08:33Van der Poel ready to defend Dutch title 05.01.2017 @ 21:00Pantano ambitious for first Tour with Trek 05.01.2017 @ 20:41Landa with new approach to the Giro 05.01.2017 @ 20:36Sunweb Development Team sign Goos and Zepuntke 05.01.2017 @ 20:27Dumoulin confirms Giro participation 05.01.2017 @ 20:19Bauer targets victories in Quick-Step debut 05.01.2017 @ 20:16Gaviria and Boonen lead Quick-Step in San Juan 05.01.2017 @ 20:13Team Sunweb presented in Germany 05.01.2017 @ 20:09ASO take over major German WorldTour race 05.01.2017 @ 11:01Team Sunweb unveil new jersey 05.01.2017 @ 10:54Reactions from the Australian TT Championships 05.01.2017 @ 08:27Dennis defends Australian TT title 05.01.2017 @ 08:21Scotson takes back to back U23 TT titles in Australia 05.01.2017 @ 08:15Utrecht on track to host 2020 Vuelta 04.01.2017 @ 18:28Pre-season setback for Talansky 04.01.2017 @ 17:56Kristoff: It's not impossible for me to win in Rou... 04.01.2017 @ 17:49Boom close to first cyclo-cross win in LottoNL debut 04.01.2017 @ 17:40UAE Abu Dhabi make late signing of Arab rider 04.01.2017 @ 17:36UAE Abu Dhabi unveil new jersey 04.01.2017 @ 17:30BMC unveil race schedule 04.01.2017 @ 17:21

Currently no news in this list

Chiara AGNELLI
30 years | today
Bernardo SÁNCHEZ
43 years | today
Steve SCHETS
40 years | today
Chih-Hua SHIH
42 years | today
Kaitlyn RAUWERDA
24 years | today

© CyclingQuotes.com