Speaking prior to the start of Thursday’s stage to Galibier Serre Chevalier, both Ivan Basso and George Hincapie (BMC Racing Team) talked about their different positions in the race. Basso is the official leader of his Liquigas squad while Hincapie is one of the right hand men of contender Cadel Evans.
“I think we are just at the start of the harder days of the race. At the moment I am okay,” said Basso to VeloNation in a video interview. “In the last week it is difficult for the form to go up, everybody is tired. I think it is more the head [that determines the differences].”
He said that because of fatigue, it is difficult to set out and follow pre-planned strategy. “The third week is difficult to do tactics at the start because what think in the start is not exactly the same as what you feel in the race. “
Hincapie has put any personal ambitions aside so as to be as good as possible for his team leader Evans. He said that the requirements were the same as ever; “keep doing what we have been doing, which is keeping Cadel in front, keeping him in the best position possible, doing the work when we need to do it and just trying to put him in the best position possible in the end.”
Evans rode extremely strongly on the final climb of Thursday’s stage, leading the chase behind Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek). He was practically unaided by the other contenders, doing the bulk of the work himself. Hincapie and the other BMC Racing Team riders will do the same work again tomorrow in order to help Evans get ready for Alpe d’Huez and what will be a crucially important stage.
Basso will also aim to ride strongly. He ended Thursday’s stage sixth overall, three minutes 46 seconds back, and will resume that fight again on the Alpe.
View both video interviews below. Note: high volume at the race start made some of the questions initially difficult for the riders to hear.