“I wasn’t trying to take any risks — I was just on Milan’s wheel. When he launched his sprint, I didn’t even feel like I’d touched anything,” he continues. “I was clearly knocked off balance, lost my pedal, my shoe… I nearly lost the whole shoe… and that was that.”
Then came the aforementioned apology, with Coquard visibly getting emotional. “I really want to apologise to Jasper Philipsen and the Alpecin-Deceuninck team—even though it wasn’t deliberate. I’m not… I’m not a reckless rider, but still, it’s never pleasant,” he concludes. “I knew all of you would be here; I wasn’t even sure I wanted to contest the final sprint… but I pulled myself together. Then another crash. As for me, my health — we’ll see. I’m in pain all over, a few abrasions… we’ll just have to wait and see.”