Gall fights back tears after victory in queen's stage: "Very stressed by role as leader"

On Wednesday, Felix Gall rode his way to victory in the queen's stage of the Tour de France - and he did it solo. The Austrian climber of AG2R Citroën made a decisive move on the grueling Col de la Loze, leaving a strong leading group and then even holding off Simon Yates at the finish.

"It's unbelievable, I don't know what to say," Gall said in the flash interview, visibly astonished. "This season was already amazing, and now to perform so well in the Tour de France and win the queen's stage - that's overwhelming."

"I want to thank the team. They have given me so much," Gall emotionally continued. "Riding a Grand Tour is not easy, and on top of that, I have the role of leader now. And that caused me a lot of stress. It wasn't easy, but in the last few days, I've been feeling more and more comfortable."

Gall held off Simon Yates in the final stretch. "I was afraid that someone would catch up to me in the final kilometer. It's just unbelievable. I am very grateful for this," said the rider, who hadn't expected the breakaway to succeed. "The stage was so tough, but I felt good from the start. So I thought, why not join the breakaway and gain an advantage over the favorites."

Gall: "Waited for the steep part to attack"

"On the final climb, I felt super good. And at that point, according to my calculations, I knew that if we maintained this pace throughout the day, I would have a good chance," he said before the interview was suddenly interrupted by Ben O'Connor, who had worked tirelessly for Gall on the last climb.

"Ben did an amazing job," Gall continues after hugging his teammate. "I waited for the steep section to launch my attack. Afterward, I felt a bit weaker, but I knew the power I was putting out was enough to make it. A year and a half ago, I could never have imagined being in this position," Gall concludes, still astonished by his achievement.