Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), in an official interview:
"I wasn't alone. I had 18 friends in the breakaway. I actually had a good lead on the final climb. It was a crazy experience, to be honest. When I went into the breakaway, I thought that maybe it would be a free pass to the foot of the final climb. But I never thought that this group would be fighting for the stage win, because UAE followed in the peloton. But it's not easy to chase 19 guys for 100 kilometres on the flat."
... Kwiatkowski on Ineos Grenadiers' plan for the 13th stage of the 2023 Tour de France: "We didn't want to miss out on a big breakaway group. Like almost every day, we tried to get into the breakaway group. Because you never know when riders break away on the flat who will sneak into such a breakaway group. Maybe one of the contenders for the classification. Nobody wants to do the chase work - today it was up to UAE. I think they let too many people into the breakaway and I had the best legs I've probably ever had in my life. I didn't think it was possible, but here I am now."
... Kwiatkowski on the fans at the Grand Colombier: "That wouldn't have been possible without them. I didn't have the team car behind me on the last climb and couldn't really understand what was happening on the radio. The fans were incredible. They carried me to the finish. It's an incredible feeling."
Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers - 2022 winner in Alpe d'Huez on 14 July), on Eurosport:
"I think Bastille Day should be renamed Ineos Day. These are two iconic climbs (Grand Colombier and Alpe d'Huez; editor's note) to win there. In between, we talked about whether Kwiato (Michal Kwiatkowski; editor's note) would come back and help us position for the final climb because UAE barely allowed the breakaway to get ahead - and then he wins the stage. It always happens when you least expect it. It's super nice because I've been preparing for the Tour de France with him almost the whole time - in Tenerife, in Switzerland and now here. I know what it means to him."
700 watts are not enough to stop Pogacar
... Pidcock on the race in the group of favourites: "I think it's easier when I'm riding at the front because you're going so fast that the steepness doesn't feel so bad. I think I rode well."
... Pidcock on Tadej Pogacar: "It's a 17 kilometre climb and he rides the end like a bunch sprint. I rode maybe 700 watts or so in that area. So you can imagine what he was riding."
Georg Zimmermann (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty), at sportschau.de:
"I know the mountain quite well, I've ridden up here a few times. My tactic was to pace myself, to ride my own pace up the whole mountain. I was left behind right at the start, but that was more or less planned in the tactics. Then I was always a few seconds behind Kwiatkowski's chasing group. It's a bit of a shame that I never got there. My legs are good, I feel good. I didn't make any mistakes today. It was just the legs talking on the last climb. It's a bit unfortunate that the general classification riders flew past me at the end. But that's how it is sometimes."
Pogacar and Vingegaard on the 13th stage of the 2023 Tour de France
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), in an official interview:
"I'm more or less satisfied with the way it went. A win would have been nice, but hats off to the breakaway. Michal Kwiatkowski was super strong today, but in the end it was a successful day for us too, because we got a few seconds back. The Tour de France is still long and it's a good situation for us. We will now look from day to day and look for opportunities to make up a few seconds. It was a really good team performance. Everyone can take motivation and confidence from it today. Even if it wasn't a win, it was a small victory in the battle for the yellow jersey."
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), in an official interview:
"I'm not disappointed. We had hoped that the breakaway group would make it to the finish. That's what happened. So I think it was a very good day for us. This stage didn't suit me. To be honest, I'm happy that I was able to limit the gap. I'm happy with the day today and the team. The next few days suit me very well. I'm looking forward to it."
13th stage of the Tour de France 2023: Niermann draws a conclusion
Grischa Niermann (Sports Director at Jumbo-Visma), on Eurosport:
"It was still a good day for us. We knew that the final climb would suit Pogacar better. After all, it wasn't that steep with steep final metres for the sprint. Unfortunately, Jonas (Vingegaard; editor's note) lost some time. But we are still in the yellow jersey and continue to fight. So I think we can talk about a good day. Because it's what we expected."
Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), on Eurosport:
"There was a big breakaway group. The guys did a great job in the chase, because there were 25 riders in front at one point. We then tackled the final climb and scored bonus seconds. That was good work. We tried today and that was the most important thing."
Matxin Fernandez congratulates Kwiatkowski
Matxin Fernandez (Manager UAE Team Emirates), on Eurosport:
"We wanted to control the race and go for a stage win. That was the plan. It was very difficult and we weren't able to surprise them. In the end, we made up eight seconds, which is good. Kwiatkowski was the strongest rider today, congratulations."
