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Super result: Third at the Tirreno

Even after the final 9,1km time trial Roman held on to the third place overall at the WorldTour stage race Tirreno-Adriatico. The Tinkoff-Saxo´s captain Alberto Contador clinched the overall victory.

How do you assess this result?
The team came out of this race really great. Our goal was to win the Tirreno overall, which happened. The fact that I finished on the podium as well is just a bonus. I knew that I was in good shape but we had no idea how my condition would be with each day passing but because we had a strong team here I helped Alberto only in the most difficult stages.

Didn’t you have your heart set on the second place overall?
We were hoping that if I felt good I could beat Quintana but it was a great ride by him. He was faster than Alberto and myself. Of course, it would be better if we finished first and second but we have to remain realistic. The competition was really strong here and I am happy to have made the podium again at a week´s stage race after my third place at the Tour de Swiss last year.

You didn’t seem to go through any serious crisis…
I had much better legs than in Oman where I put in the first racing kilometres and it helped me a lot. Here I was more confident that I could ride for a solid result. Everything is going as planned but after the San Remo we will take it easy a little bit so that I would be fresh for the Classics.
You had already worked with Contador at the Tour. Did everything work finel between you two?
Alberto knows from the last year that he can trust me. We don’t even have to spend so much time racing because we get along really well.

Do you think you have sent a message to your rivals?
We didn’t have to prove ourselves to anyone. Everybody knows that we are a great team that works really well. Compared to the previous year Alberto is on better form and he has shown that nobody can count him out.

What is on your agenda before the Milan-San Remo?
I will be staying in the town of Lucca where my coach and our two masseurs live so I will have all the comfort that I need and will be spared unnecessary travelling. I will have to take two days off, on Friday I am going to do some pacing behind the motorbike and the race is on Sunday. We are not going to put all our eggs into one basket so if the race should end in a bunch sprint we will ride for Bennati and if there is a possibility that I could stand a chance for a good result, I will give it a go.

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