I wasn't looking for either the stage win or the lead, more to open up a time gap on the other favorites. |
I will enter the final week with tranquility, confidence and, above all, humility, ... I have a lot of respect for my rivals and, just like we saw when I fell last week, the race is never over until you reach Madrid. |
I would like to win a three-week race other than the Vuelta. The Tour is always in my mind but, I insist, that is up to my race director. |
If he doesn't yield, it's possible that we'll have a repeat of yesterday in Cerler, although Sastre said that he misunderstands both Mancebo and me. But if Menchov bends, the race will be much more aggressive and everyone will go hard without holding back. |
In a race of three weeks, the key is to be consistent. The regret today is that I couldn't win the stage. I started the sprint, but Mancebo came very strong from behind me. I saw him coming, but there was nothing I could do. |
In a three week race, at the end there is always a high level, and more since we are in the UCI-ProTour. Maybe it's not the same level of the Tour, where all teams bring his nine riders at 100 percent level, but the average is very high. Maybe there are no so many names as other years, but the level continues being high. Here we have Mancebo, Aitor Gonzalez, Landis, Mayo, Pereiro and, in general, teams like Comunidad Valenciana, without forgetting that there are always foreigners whom you don't count on and then they ride very well. |
It's a hard course and it's not tailored for the specialists because it has a lot of hills. It can make a lot of differences if you're strong. I know the route well because I have ridden a lot in the area, including training and in Setmana Catalana. |
It's a race I rode just once but I liked it very much. It's a very nice race. I think it has a very demanding mountainous part, then the time trials are not too long. It's a race I liked the year I went. |
It's an important stage with a very demanding and hard route. |
It's the first time I've seen people waiting outside my home, ... but we're accustomed to this type of news generating more news than the sport. I am serene because I have nothing to hide. I train every day and I don't have to take dope to become better. |
It's the only critical climb (and Pajares a little) like the Angliru that decided the race without a doubt in the other years... I am going to take advantage of the opportunities that I have. |
It’s a race I rode just once but I liked it very much, ... It’s a very nice race. I think it has a very demanding mountainous part, then the time trials are not too long. It’s a race I liked the year I went. |
My first instinct is to win, but it would also be nice to set the record victory mark and pass into cycling history, |
No, there are still the mountains of Madrid and Avila, but there the key will be the team. Us and Illes Balears have a better team than Rabobank and CSC...[Menchov] will find it very tough, because there the team is fundamental. I have great confidence in being able to do something, because I feel strong and, especially, very good mentally. |
Once more, the team's work deserves a 10 out of 10, ... My team-mates have been sensational and I felt good. The stage was very quick with a lot of attacks but we controlled them without any problem. |