Quotes

Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team): “[The most aggressive award] is meritorious. We feel at ease and conscious of what we’ve been. We’ve attacked, attacked, and we didn’t stop attacking to make La Vuelta a show. I’m not disappointed, no. Well, I would have preferred another result, but I’m not disappointed because I fought from the start until the end. I went hard on my terrain, the mountains, that’s all, and I think we faced some difficulties. We’ll have to keep trying.”

Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R La Mondiale): “I came to the race a bit like a spectator. And in the end, to climb on the podium in Madrid with this crowd, it’s awesome. The jersey wasn’t a goal at the beginning, it came as the race went on. It’s great to have come through. I arrived quite late, I needed to prove I deserve to be a professional. It’s a first success and it motivates me to keep working and improving to get victories and other interesting results.”

Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step): “I didn’t expect to make it to Madrid, to be honest. It’s my first Grand Tour and it was very hard, I suffered a lot. My first win was a relief, but this one is overwhelming. To make it to Madrid and win here, it takes me over the Moon. It’s like a dream come true. I wasn’t part of the elite before but now I think we can say I’m part of the top 10 sprinters in the World. It started when we entered the last 50 kilometres, to keep the break under control. We had to fight for position in the last kilometres....

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “It definitely took patience. My legs felt good but the morale wasn’t that high in the first part of the stage. Then I saw everybody was uncomfortable with the cold and the rain. I felt good in the last climb and I attacked. Lopez had done a big effort and I chose the right moment. I had good support on the road from Slovenian fans, from my family and from the team car. They gave me incredible motivation, and I went full gas for last hour. They make it easier for me. It was incredible, with so many emotions. I don’t realise...

Sergio Higuita (EF Education First): “Yesterday, when I didn’t have the legs to be in the echelons and fight for the top10 of the GC, we decided to save energy for today and to relax as much as possible, as if it were a recovery ride. It was great for me, as I was feeling really tired before the stage - I even fell asleep on the bus! This helped me relieve some pressure off me and take the start today with renewed energies. Today’s stage was perfect for me: I could either win from a breakaway or from a sprint. Climbing Cotos I felt extraordinary good...