Comments on stage 21: "Great feeling" for Meeus, Vingegaard thanks the whole of Denmark

Day winner Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) on Eurosport about his unexpected victory:

"In the previous sprints, I realised that more was possible. I felt good all day today. We rode at full throttle and the groundwork from Marco (Haller) and Danny (van Poppel) was great, they put me in a good position. Then I was on Pedersen's rear wheel and in the slipstream. This is my first Tour, that alone was a great experience. To win here now is a great feeling."

>> To the TOUR liveblog

>> All stage winners of the Tour de France 2023

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) after his second Tour victory in a row:

"I am proud. And happy, of course. To win for the second time now is amazing. All these spectators, all the Danes here. Thanks to my team and my family, but also to the whole of Denmark, who have supported me the whole time. I'm very grateful for that. It was a long journey that went by quickly. It was a tough race with a great duel between Tadej and me. I obviously hope that I can come back next year to try and get my third win."

Bora team boss Ralph Denk on Meeus' surprising victory in Paris in the first programme:

"We didn't expect to win today at all. We were criticised for leaving Sam Bennett at home. And for Jordi Meeus to win here as an unknown sprinter: hugely emotional, awesome. The team put a lot of pressure on him and positioned him correctly. We've had setbacks over the three weeks and went all-in again today. Congratulations to the team."

Former world champion Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) on Eurosport about the end of his career as a road pro:

"It's finally over, I'm so glad it was my last tour. Life goes on, show must go on. I had a good time in road cycling, also at the Tour. It's the biggest race in the world, but I've had enough."

The beaten serial winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) compared to Sporza, who can console himself with the green jersey:

"It's super nice for Jordi to take the win. It was a different sprint to last year. I was at the front, but my legs didn't feel good in the sprint. It was a tough tour. But a dream has come true for me (with the green jersey and the four stage wins). But I still have to process it properly. Am I the best sprinter in the peloton? If you look at this Tour de France, yes. But I just try to keep working hard. There will be other goals soon. But I'll let this Tour sink in for a while."