Argos Shimano's John Degenkolb was not happy with his second place finish on stage seven of the 100th Tour De France but as it was the world's greatest cycle race, he admitted that he was prepared to accept it.
Speaking to his team's press office, Degenkolb who was just beaten by Cannondale's Peter Sagan said: "I was suffering on the climbs when Cannondale put the hammer down, they rode hard. But I hung on and felt good after that.
"The boys did a great job to keep me out of the wind and then bring me into a good position for the sprint but at the end Sagan was just too strong.
"Second place isn't a nice place to finish but when it is the Tour de France you have to be happy with that. It shows I have prepared well and I will hopefully have another opportunity to go for the win."