Harold Tejada (XDS-Astana) was not satisfied with the third place he secured yesterday and today, after a decisive attack on the final climb, he won solo the sixth stage of Paris-Nice with the finish in Apt.

«Finally after seven years, my first victory with the team in a World Tour race has arrived – said the Colombian who as a professional had only won a stage at the Giro di Colombia -. It's incredible, it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. This is the most important victory of my career and I'm happy it came in Europe and in an important race like Paris-Nice».

At the Apt finish line, all of Tejada's XDS-Astana teammates wanted to congratulate him, because they knew how important this victory was for him. «I want to thank God, my family, my wife and my daughter, my entire team and my teammates. Today we had many problems with the bike. In the end, they told me: look at the final stretch, stay focused and attack. And I just thought about giving my best».

Today's victory has significant value for Tejada, not only because it's the first time he's won in a World Tour race, but because his opponents are among the strongest riders on the world circuit.

«For me to beat Jonas (Vingegaard, ed.), Dani (Martinez, ed.), who represents us and Colombia so well, is simply fantastic. Winning here really moves me. I immediately told the radio that I had won and I just had time to raise my arms, and honestly, thanks to XDS Astana for everything they do».

Yesterday at Colombier-le-Vieux he had finished third, behind Vingegaard and Paret-Peintre and after the finish, he was already thinking about today's stage, where he would try to win.

«Third yesterday and first today, it seems my legs are going great. Yes, I haven't had very fortunate days and I even crashed. But this is cycling and today I had my revenge».

Only two stages remain until the end of Paris-Nice and, after a difficult start, the Colombian has now entered the top ten of the general classification and will try to improve his position. «I think a top 10 finish would be a good result. We came here aiming for the podium, but in the first days of the race we weren't where we wanted to be. We lost a lot of time, but we have two stage wins for the team in the bank, two more days of opportunities await us, we'll try to make the most of them for another victory. For now though, let's enjoy this victory with the team».