In 2013 and 2014, Team Giant-Alpecin won four stages with Marcel Kittel. This year they only took a single win with Simon Geschke. Nonetheless, manager Iwan Spekenbrink is pleased with the outcome.

"I look back at the Tour de France very positively, as it was in the broadest sense the strongest team we have ever had in the Tour. So compliments to the staff, coaches and riders in showing a huge amount of determination," he said. "This was a Tour in which, on paper, we had fewer chances for flat sprints where we would be the clear favorite, as the rider who would have been the favorite, Marcel Kittel, was not at the Tour because he was not ready. So we went with a team that was oriented more broadly. In cycling you must show great teamwork to create chances, and with those chances you can sometimes realize results and maybe take a victory.

"In the past we focused on the flat stages for the sprint, and sometimes the breakaway as well. In this year’s Tour we animated the finale in almost all the stages. This means we performed well, showed great teamwork and created opportunities. We had a lot of top-10 finishes and a great reward with the win by Simon Geschke. It was a very beautiful and unique victory.

"Our Tour was characterized by tenacity; we did not have our top sprinter, Tom Dumoulin crashed out on his way to yellow, and in the cobblestone stage we rode an excellent race but made what in hindsight turned out to be a wrong calculation in the finale and raced for second place. But we learned from that in the stage to Le Havre; in the final kilometer Warren Barguil was in position to counter the ultimate winner Stybar but was involved in the Tony Martin crash. So we’ve had our share of bad luck, which is always part of the sport, but we kept the faith and looked for ways to create new opportunities. By constantly looking for new chances we were rewarded with Simon’s victory. That mental aspect, to keep believing and continuing with our process, is critical, so I compliment the team on that.

"Warren was in the Tour to learn, and he did. He now knows what it is like to be toward the top of the GC and fighting to improve that position. He also experienced the fatigue and sliding down the GC slightly, and at this stage of his career that is a good thing. Now we can work on how to avoid the fatigue and stay fresh, and where we can take advantage of opportunities and save energy. It’s important that you first experience that before realizing why it is necessary. He also experienced the media circus and attention, as well as bad luck and a tough crash, and kept on fighting. Taking these experiences together, he now knows all the aspects that he will need to master to be a consistent GC rider in three years’ time.

"Our team moves to where we see opportunities, and our chances come where we have unique talents in our team. We have sprint talents, we are competitive in the classics and we also have a talent for the GC. We take advantage of the chances we see and pursue our opportunities with tenacity."