Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team met with the press at the Tour de France press conference on a ferry boat in Porto Vecchio on Thursday. All nine riders were present. Below are comments made by OPQS riders Mark Cavendish, Sylvain Chavanel, and Tony Martin.
Mark Cavendish
On the Tour de France starting without a prologue for the first time since 1966 (won by Rudi Altig)
"It's definitely a big opportunity for my career. It's been 50 years since a sprinter has been able to win and wear the yellow jersey after the first stage. So I'm definitely going to take the opportunity with both hands. The team is motivated and we really like this opportunity."
On a chance to wear the yellow jersey after Stage 1
"It'd be a dream to wear the yellow jersey so we'll definitely go in and try our best to get that. It's not a given. There are definitely some strong sprinters and sprint teams here. But we'll definitely do our best to try to come away with it after Saturday."
"The yellow jersey is iconic. Not just in cycling, but in sport. Every young cyclist who watches the Tour de France dreams of wearing that jersey one day. I've been lucky to have the support to win three points jerseys in three Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour, and the Vuelta. The yellow jersey is the only one I'm missing. I think to be able to wear that for at least a day in your life, it's a thing to make any rider's career. It's a thing you dream about as a child."
On the strengths of OPQS
"We don't just have a strong team for the sprints. We've got Peter Velits who was on the podium of the Vuelta the other year. We've got Tony Martin, World Time Trial Champion. We're World Time Trial Champions. We've got a very, very strong team here for that. Then we've got guys like Sylvain Chavanel who can go out and just win on those hard days. We've got a diverse team here that has rode together before. We're not going for anything on the GC but we can definitely do something across 21 days."
On the OPQS Leadout
"We've got a good feel after races with the team. We've got a mix of experience in the likes of Gert Steegmans and youth — but youth that's excited to do it — like Matteo Trentin. We've got guys that are really committed to the cause. For sure we've got a great team here that's going to be committed to one thing, and that's winning stages of the Tour de France."
"Matteo is young, but he's got a really good head on him. He stays relaxed and he can read positions really, really well. You can see he led me out in the last stage of the Giro d'Italia, but he was more the guy ahead of Gert Steegmans. He can go for a long time, it showed in my 100th win in Treviso. In the Giro he did a 2km pull. He's strong, he's got a good head on his shoulders and he's my roommate as well. He's a nice guy."
On the Tour de France Course
"This is the 100th year of the Tour de France. It's a well designed route with different parcours. So I think we're going to see a lot of different winners and I think that's good for the sport. To see different types of riders in the yellow jersey and winning stages, I think is a very well thought out plan by ASO."
On the British National Road Champion Jersey
"I love to pull on my national jersey and represent my country. To be able to wear the jersey that represents a champion in my country for a year in a professional peloton is big. Especially so because Great Britain has become a dominant force. So, it's a recognized jersey in the peloton. To be able to wear that is an honor."
Sylvain Chavanel
On his expectations at the Tour de France
"As a French rider it is an honor for me to be at the 100th edition of this race. I will also proudly wear my French National TT Champion jersey in front of the people of my country. As for what I expect from the race, I think I can help the team do well in the TTT, as I did when we won the UCI World TTT Championship last year. I also will look for opportunities to attack if there is a good moment. I am happy with my condition coming into the Tour de France and hope I can help my team get good results."
Tony Martin
On the Individual Time Trials
"I looked at the second ITT course, the hard one, I have to say I was a little bit disappointed because it is more or less a mountain time trial where you can't ride a TT bike. So, I am pretty sure it's not for me. So, I think I have one chance at the first time trial, which fits my skills. I really hope I can get a good result."