Vuelta a España stage 8 reactions: Miguel Angel Lopez, Alejandro Valverde, Rafal Majka, Nairo Quintana
Sep 01 2019 06:02 am CET
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While Nikias Arnt (Sunweb) won the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España and Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) took the Red Jersey, the peloton arrived together to the finish line, maintaining intact the differences among the GC contenders. Miguel Angel Lopez, Alejandro Valverde, Rafal Majka and Nairo Quintana shared their thoughts of the day's stage and before one of the more demanding days of the race.
Miguel Ángel López (Astana)
"A very big group of attackers went away and the team decided to pull to try and save La Roja. But we stayed cautious in the finale because the road was wet and that allowed the attackers to gain time. There is no problem: one day with La Roja, one day without. Tomorrow will be a beautiful day. I hope to be among the best."
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar):
"It wasn’t a slow stage back at the peloton, but we didn’t suffer from the stress from previous stages and we could get through safely, with no major complications. The thing is, it was so hot in the beginning it was also a bit exhausting, but the change to rainy conditions after Montserrat was abrupt, the race suddenly becoming so cold. We took no risks at the descent, avoided any setbacks and got to the finish in one piece, which was the important thing today. It’s going to be so hard tomorrow! So many climbs in such a short stage and probably the weather conditions will also play a factor. We will just try to do our best and continue to fight for the GC."
Rafal Majka (Bora-hansgrohe):
"After the breakaway of the day was made we stayed together in the peloton and with the rain, in the finale, we rode safely to avoid any crashes. Tomorrow will be a very tough stage in the mountains of Andorra, therefore we will relax now."
Nairo Quintana (Movistar):
"We got through the day well. The rain isn’t really bad for me, I get used to it. We tried to always stay together with the team and we didn’t have any troubles. Tomorrow's stage is one that I like. Let’s hope I can find some good legs. We don’t know if it will rain again, it might do, but it shouldn’t be that big of a problem for us. We must give everything tomorrow: you can’t relax, you must not lose focus. It’s going to be short and intense. The more time we’re able to gain on our rivals – if we make up any – the better. We must take advantage if we have a chance. Then there’s the TT on Tuesday, and surely riders like Roglic will do much better than us."
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