After all these years, Coquard has finally hit the jackpot! "It worked out perfectly for me today"

Bryan Coquard got his first big win of the season on Monday, during the second day of the Tour of Switzerland. Arnaud De Lie seemed to get going but then experienced equipment trouble, leaving Coquard, who started his sprint early, sovereign in the lead. It was only his second WorldTour victory, so the Frenchman from Cofidis, a team not known for winning races all year, was extremely happy with this fine result.

In the flash interview afterward, Coquard talked more about his victory. In the Frenchman's already quite long career, this was only his second win ever at the highest level, after a stage at the Tour Down Under. He ended up staying just ahead of Michael Matthews after a perfectly timed sprint. Coquard was confronted with his lack of sprint victories but handled it well. "I haven't won many sprints, no."

Coquard experiences a sense of liberation at 32: "I once came second to Kittel by millimeters"

He had a long wait for it, but he was finally able to beat big names in a really big race. "It's really my biggest win ever. It was a tough stage, with that climb right before the end—a stage that was actually perfect for me. So today was a big opportunity. I am a good sprinter, but with all the strong competitors, it is always hard to create a real chance for myself. Today everything went well: I sprinted at the right time, and the group was small enough," he said.

He was also asked about the feeling of only getting such a big win at age 32. Coquard had to wait a long time for it but doesn't think too much about it. "Yeah, yeah. I've been second so many times. Even in big races like the Tour, when I think back to the sprint against Marcel Kittel in Limoges... 28 millimeters, that was. I'm just very happy today. The altitude training before the Tour is paying off. This is perfect!"