Quotes
Stage 21
31| Wout VAN AERT
Wout van Aert: "My big injury two years ago makes it more special today"
"I have to be honest, I didn’t have the legs I wanted today. Already on the first climb I could already feel that it hurt a bit too much. The fatigue is definitely there after three weeks, and today I was not strong enough to be up there. In a way, yes, this is finished business after crashing out with the green jersey in 2024. After winning the green jersey in the Tour [2022], this was also something that I really wanted to win one day. After the near miss two years ago and the big injury I had afterwards, it was quite a disappointment. It makes it more special to...
Stage 21
61| Edgar Oscar ONLEY
Oscar Onley: "I will keep this Vuelta in my memory for a long time"
"It’s been a long three weeks I guess. There’s always a lot of tension and stress around the race, especially when you’re going for GC; so it feels nice and it feels a bit a relief to finish now. To be honest, the team we’ve had here has been unbelievable actually, not only the way we’ve ridden, but just the atmosphere we’ve had off the bike and around the dinner table at night. It’s something I will keep in my memory for a long time. You can’t force these things, but when it clicks and it comes naturally it’s something...
Stage 21
72| Santiago BUITRAGO SANCHEZ
Santiago Buitrago: "Proud to take this jersey home"
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) is the winner of the polka-dot jersey of La Vuelta 26.
“First of all, I’m thrilled to arrive here in Granada having successfully defended this jersey. I'm proud to take this jersey home, and I hope everyone back home enjoyed it as much as I did. I suffered quite a bit—suffered a lot, really—but I’m going home with more positives from the daily battles and the amazing team we had for this Vuelta. I’m taking away beautiful memories. I’ll definitely come back, I love this race, the...
Stage 21
21| Enric MAS NICOLAU
Enric Mas: "It was a long wait and a long way"
"It’s just special. It’s been a day to remember, a special Vuelta, and it has been wonderful. There’s always tension about what could happen, but you’ve seen it all went smoothly, so we’re delighted and we enjoyed every kilometre today.
It was a long wait and a long way to today. But to be honest, it was always special Vueltas, and this one I think is the special one."
Stage 21
134| Tobias Halland JOHANNESSEN
Tobias Johannessen: "I've been looking for that win for a long time"
"I really didn’t expect it today. We wanted to make the last day special of Magnus Cort very special, but in the last lap I was in the front group. I tried to not pull in case Cort would come back, but in the end I saw we had a gap. I was so focused, because I’ve been looking for that win for a long time. It’s been over three years since my last win. It feels really special today. I don’t know what to say, I’m so happy!
We had talked about how we wanted to do it with Cort, and that was to deliver him first into the last corner. I remembered...
Stage 20
72| Santiago BUITRAGO SANCHEZ
Santiago Buitrago: "I was completely drained by the finish"
"It was a gruelling day. Right from the start of the stage, I had no idea how the race was going – everything was in tatters. Today, I was completely drained by the finish. We also had Jakob [Omrzel], who’d stayed with Onley, and they made me stop. A very crazy race, a very tough stage… I couldn’t wait to reach the finish line. Without a doubt, Wout [van Aert] was a threat. If anyone could take the jersey off me, it was him. That’s why I always said that the points were never enough. Today, it actually scared me."
Stage 20
121| Mikel LANDA MEANA
Mikel Landa: "I thought of my children – I couldn’t go home like that"
"I wasn’t expecting it, but I’d been dreaming of it. Today was my last chance and I didn’t want to let it slip through my fingers. I thought of my children – I couldn’t go home like that. And if one day they see this and understand it, I’d like them to know that you must never give up. The team have also believed in me; they’ve supported me throughout the Vuelta, looked after me and shown me affection, and it’s all down to them. With the shit year I’ve had – actually, years – I’ve suffered a lot…...
Stage 20
61| Edgar Oscar ONLEY
Oscar Onley: "I just missed ten metres"
"It was hard. Obviously the way this race is going, everyone wants to go in the breakaway, and the GC group is smaller than the front of the race for most of the day. Everyone expected Carapaz to go. Sepp [Kuss] went first, and Carapaz jumped across. I followed the others, but I just missed ten metres on top of Monachil, the first time, and then the gap just exploded out by the time I waited for the group behind. That was it, really. We focused on protecting the white jersey. We had a really strong team again today. We had most of the guys up the road, so we could connect...
Stage 20
21| Enric MAS NICOLAU
Enric Mas: "I was just counting the kilometres"
"It’s the first time in my life I feel like this. I’m happy. To be honest, I was just counting the kilometres. My feeling was super. The team did a super good job again. I won because the team did everything for them. Thank you."
Stage 19
72| Santiago BUITRAGO SANCHEZ
Santiago Buitrago: "I was crushed"
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) finished second at Penas Blancas—just as he did at Sierra de la Pandera—but he continues to lead the mountains classification.
"I could not believe it. When I attacked, I did so with real confidence; I didn't look back, but when I saw Dunbar’s shadow approaching, I was crushed. I had given everything, and... another second-place finish. When we were in the breakaway, there were three or four riders from the Q36 [team]. Dunbar is a very strong rider—he’s proven that—and I think he had it...
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