Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), stage winner on Eurosport:
"We didn't know this morning whether today would be a breakaway or a sprint stage. We stayed calm throughout the race and my boys rode a great lead-out today. In the long sprint I still had the legs to decide the race in my favour. Jasper (Philipsen; editor's note) made it really tight again, it was incredibly tough. But in the end it doesn't matter whether you win by two metres or one centimetre. For me, it was always a pleasure to race with Mark (Cavendish; editor's note). I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton. It's sad that a legend has to finish the Tour like this. I only wish Mark the best."
Lidl-Trek's change of plan works
Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek), at Eurosport:
"We didn't really have a plan for the final because we actually wanted to be in the breakaway. Then we realised that it was probably going to be a sprint final, so we had to change our tactics. We mentioned yesterday that we had to be more confident in the sprint. Because our climbers helped us a lot today, we took the offensive today. We then made the best decision at the right moment."
Gianni Moscon (Astana Qazaqstan Team), on Eurosport:
"We were at the back of the peloton and had just completed the first climb of the day. Then suddenly there was a crash in front of us. Cavendish had to brake suddenly while another rider swerved out of the way. As a result, he hit the rear wheel of another rider and crashed. It was bad. I stayed with him to see how he was doing. It quickly became clear that it was not possible for him to continue the race. It's a sad day for us. We tried to get something out of the race, but it was very chaotic. I was also hit from behind and crashed. My thoughts are with Mark (Cavendish; editor's note) and I hope he's okay."
Yates also crashed
Mathew Hayman (Sports Director of the Jayco-AlUla team), on Eurosport:
"A crash in the last five kilometres is very annoying - especially when the race is so fast. After the crash (of Simon Yates; editor's note) we sent some riders to him, only a few remained in the peloton. Chris Harper waited for him and brought him back as quickly as possible. Simon did everything he could to minimise the time lost. It's a shame, but the Tour de France is still a long way off."
Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious), on Eurosport:
"I'm happy that my legs are still quite fresh. I did my best until the finish, but it wasn't enough today - I was quite far away from the decision. I wish Mark (Cavendish; editor's note) all the best, he deserves this one victory."
