Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): "We set out on the first day with the intention of taking [the polka-dot jersey] and it was a photo finish on the only mountain pass there was. We were left with a bitter taste in our mouths. We knew there was also a mountain pass yesterday, but when I saw the points up for grabs today for the jersey, I decided to wait until today and go for it. And that's how it turned out. Three of us broke away at the start. Halfway up the mountain pass, the peloton caught up with us again, but I pushed myself to the limit to the top. I reached the summit alone, and then the other four breakaway companions came in. In the end, it's very special. Just wearing it is special, but if you also get it in a stage like today's, with long, hard mountain passes in the Alps... even better. I'm really looking forward to arriving in Figueres tomorrow, surrounded by my family, my friends, my people, and being able to wear this jersey. It's amazing. When they told me I was going to be the leader, I couldn't believe it. For me, it's a dream to arrive in Catalonia with this jersey and be in front of my people, leading the mountain classification in La Vuelta. We set out to see if we could wear the jersey. Seeing the level I'm showing, we'll take it day by day to see if we can maintain it and if we can dream of achieving it. In the end, this is a long race, it's just begun. We'll see what happens."
