Pau (AFP)

Wearing the yellow jersey is "a surprise every day" for Julian Alaphilippe: the French, unexpected winner Friday of the 13th stage of the Tour de France, a time trial around Pau, was "transported" by his tunic, which he continues to wear as "the bonus", without ambition for the final victory.

Q: How do you feel after this victory, which many consider a feat?

A: "It's unbelievable! I knew, considering my condition of the last days, that I could do a good + perf +, that it was the moment or never to hit a big blow, that I was going to put me the misery, but I did not expect to win in front of great riders like Geraint Thomas, let alone advance, I was transported with the yellow jersey, the public was thoroughly behind me, and leave last on this against-la- it was something very special for me, I am the first to be surprised and I will never forget this day.

Q: How did you approach this course?

A: "I was ultra-motivated since this morning, I had the path in the head, I only thought about that, the trajectories, the pain, the public, the desire to do well. the pressure almost all of France who dreams that I keep the jersey as long as possible.I wanted to take this time in two parts.The first matched me well: I thought: + you have the yellow jersey, put- you stand for 15 pins and in the end you see what you can do, if it is, you will surprise you. + When I knew that I was ahead, I did not count, I I just focused on my trajectories, I tried to keep the maximum effort for as long as possible and not fall in. In the last kilometer, I knew there was a bump and that for 300 meters I could burn myself Legs to breaking point, finally I did it all the way in. My team was crying in the car. "

Q: Can you keep this yellow jersey up to Paris?

A: "It is good to ask questions, to create this around me with the yellow jersey but we are very far from Paris.I do not catch fire, do not dream, I spent a lot of I continue to take day after day, all that happens is only a bonus Tomorrow (Saturday, arrival at the Tourmalet), we have a very difficult stage and very different from what we had until present, with an arrival at the top. "" Before arriving here, my idea was to make the most of it, I keep thinking like that. "

Q: What are you expecting on Saturday for the Tourmalet?

A: "It's another song with this arrival at high altitude, I'm expecting attacks, going through a difficult day, I'm sure there will be some movement, I hope I'll be there for as long as I can and if you do not want to crack, I'll try to help my team-mate Enric Mas, who is aiming for the general and did a great performance today (9th overall, 4th overall). I'm not going to let go of it like that, and if I let go, I'll give it all. "

Q: Are you already able to measure the extent of what you are doing?

A: "I still do not realize sometimes, when I wake up in my room and see the yellow jersey on the desk, I see my team-mate Dries (Devenyns) with stars in his eyes, while he has done more He tells me that he lives moments that he will never forget, I ride a bike exactly as I like to do, but the difference is that we are on the Tour and that I I have the yellow jersey, so it takes a completely different scale.It's the reward of a lot of work, of all that I put in work for that.It's a surprise every day, happiness. "

Interview in mixed zone and press conference

© 2019 AFP