Ben King (Dimension Data): “I’m absolutely not the best climber of La Vuelta! Tactics played a big part in my two victories. The first one it played out with guys like Pierre Rolland and Luis Angel Mate, and now with Bauke Mollema, who is a pure climber. I know my abilities for a final climb like this one so I had to gain time before reaching the bottom. I paid attention when Thomas De Gendt accelerated, and then I went with Lluis Mas because I’ve known him for quite some time and I know he’s a very strong rider. The climb was really hard, with some very steep sections, and I thought Mollema would come back. I couldn’t discard riders like De Gendt or Teuns either… I suffered a lot but I kept hoping and I made it.”
