Hunter hiding disappointment: (extract from News24 article) Majority of his team are climbers "I'm happy, I'm very confident at the moment," he said. "We came here with a team, the majority of which are climbers, so there's not exactly too much help for me in the sprints. It's not like it's affecting my performance at all. "There's always opportunities. Tomorrow's (Thursday) a hard day and it's possible that the breakaway will go (all the way). It might end up in a sprint, but I think it's a hard day for the sprinters." With the mountains up ahead - Saturday will be the first of three days in the Alps - there are few opportunities for Hunter to try and beat the likes of Hushovd, Australian Robbie McEwen and Belgium's Tom Boonen. He seems to have them counted already, and despite already eyeing the final stage to the Champs Elysees in Paris, Hunter suggested he could try and get into a breakaway. "There's four days to come. At worst, there's Paris. But I'm not only here for that. If possible I'd like to get in a couple of breakaways, and I'll see how it goes for me," he added. "I know the condition I've got at the moment, and I honestly believe I'm capable of winning a stage." After Welsh teammate Geraint Thomas, who is making his race debut, had tried his hardest by driving the bunch sprint at the front in the final kilometre, Hunter simply ran out of space when it came to the final 50m. Comparatively ill-equipped "I'm a little bit disappointed," he added. "Thor got the jump on me. I came around the long side on the right, he had about three metres on me and I had to come from that to try and get around him. I ran out of distance. "But hey, that's the Tour de France. You can't complain. You've just got to look forward to the future." When it comes to the bunch sprints, Hunter's team is comparatively ill-equipped compared to some of the Pro Tour teams here. However he refuses to believe he cannot nail a victory. "I'm happy with what the guys are doing for me," he said. "Most of the guys are climbers. I've got one guy, Geraint Thomas, who's a young guy and a sprinter, but it's also not his job to sit on the front for four or five kilometres, he hasn't got that kind of strength. "But I really can't ask for more. At the end of the day it's for me to sprint and get in the right position, and that's what I'm trying to do." "I look forward to every day as an opportunity. Once again, today's gone past, but hopefully it will come round again. If it doesn't, that's life.
