Here come the Pyrenees

“We have two hard stages ahead that should be the ones suiting us the best. Seeing how our rivals are performing on this year’s Tour it’ll be difficult, but we’ll try with all our willingness so everything can get the way we want it to go at last. Wednesday’s stage is a bit longer, with really hard climbs, while Thursday’s will be shorter, really fast from the start and hard to get into the break. We’ll try and make the front in the few stages left, so one of us can get into the break, such a difficult thing in this Tour, and snatching that victory that’s being neglected to us. It’s being a hard Tour for me and also for the team, due to crashes and abandons that leave you physically abated and a bit down mentally, too. That’s how I felt in the Alps: in low moral. But now, in these two days, I felt a bit better, so I hope to regain strength and confidence and get luckier in the Pyrénées. Shouldn’t it be myself, let other team-mates notch up a victory. Having my family close, getting through those mythical climbs and the Spanish fans supporting you so hard, makes you get better and put a bigger effort. It makes me really proud seeing so many people supporting me – I can only say to them I will do everything I can do to seek for triumph.”