After the pre-race polemic of sending Team Sunweb's most talented rider, Michael Matthews, home for the Tour de France, many wondered how their roster would fare in the race in his absence.

However, the team, led by Matthew Winston, defied expectations over the course of three weeks, taking three stage wins and the final podium in Paris. Seelen Krav Andersen won two stages, Marc Hirschi was on the podium on stages 2 and 9, and he scored a memorable victory in Salins on stage 12.

The Swiss rider's aggressive riding earned him the award for most combative rider on stage 9. In this stage, his 85km solo ride was stopped 2km away by the GC favorites.

Upon arrival in Paris, however, the 22-year-old showed his true strength in the peloton, being awarded as the most combative rider in the race and receiving the "red number" trophy on the podium on the Champs-Elysées.

"I thought I could get into the breakaway group--that was my goal--but I was disappointed to finish second on stage 2," Hirschi said after finishing stage 21. [On stage 9] I got into a long breakaway and didn't expect to be so strong in the long mountains. It was a relief to finally win.

"I enjoyed the last week and I'm really happy to finish my first Grand Tour here. I feel great. I remember most that I won. I'm really happy."

Hirschi said that while it was his and his team's goal to be aggressive throughout the Tour, he never thought about winning a stage before it became a reality. even after two podium finishes, he said: "After the win, he said: 'I'm really happy, I'm really happy.

"It wasn't even a goal," Hirschi said in Paris. It was a dream to win a stage of the Tour de France and to get the red number at the end."

"I was really happy to be on the podium. It was like a dream come true and it was very emotional. The Tour de France was a great success. I didn't expect it to go so well."

Hirschi also praised the team. Not only did Claf Andersen win twice, but Nicolas Roche and Thierry Benoot made several breakaways, and sprinter Cees Bol and his lead-out men Nikias Arndt, Casper Pedersen, and Joris Nieuwenhuys also came close to victory with podium finishes on stages 1 and 5. and came close to winning.

"Our goal was to be in the breakaway group, but now we have achieved much more," Hirschi said.

"I think we accomplished a lot as a team, and I'm very proud of that.

Team coach Winston added his praise for the team, saying that their performance throughout the three weeks was an opportunity to build on this success.

"Overall, looking back on the Tour de France, I think it was really good. Three stage wins, four overall wins, four daily daring awards, and a few days in the white jersey. It was a really great Tour de France for us and for the future."