Vacansoleil rider Johnny Hoogerland, who was knocked off his bike by a car on Stage 9 and needed 33 stitches after hitting a barbed wire fence, tells Ned Boulting he never considered quitting the race and that he intends to make it to Paris.
"I don't feel like a hero. I'm taped, I'm bandaged everywhere, so I feel more like a crash test dummy than a cyclist or a hero."
Hoogerland also reveals that the entire Vacansoleil team underwent a dope control test at 7.30am on Tuesday morning.
Askes if he thought about abandoning the race, he says: "I knew it as OK ... I was in shock, but now the race goes on. I want to go on, and I want to go for sure to Paris. I need to hold on."
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