Press conference on the occasion of the second rest day of the Vuelta
This morning Alejandro gave a press conference on the occasion of the second rest day of the Vuelta.
You can listen to the audio (in Spanish) of the press conference by downloading the PDF hereunder.
“It’s true that this Vuelta is being great for us. I didn’t have it on the calendar, but was feeling strong in this second half of the season after the Tour, and this race made no other but confirm it. I didn’t have any bad days and I’m happy with that. It was a mystery how I would react to three weeks of extra effort, but we’re now on the third and after getting over the hardest days. That’s why I’m a bit surprised about how I’m feeling, because I enjoyed the riding. Now the race is over Purito and Alberto to fight for the red jersey, and my fight was against Froome, to claim that podium finish. I follow my own pace and don’t play their games to lose as little time as possible at every finish. I remember the minute I lost at the crash, but the thing is that I’d be still in third place, though closer to the first two. Still, we’re having a great Vuelta and won’t be thinking about that all the time,” told Alejandro this mornig.
“There were plenty of mountains to open gaps, but our forces were really equal. There’s still a long way to go in this Vuelta. The vital stage should be the Bola del Mundo’s, but tomorrow’s route is also hard, the Valladolid stage will be dangerous because of the wind… You can’t relax for a single day. Until we get to Madrid, Froome will still be a threat for the podium. It’s true that he’s behind, almost three minutes, but we’ve got to keep paying attention and not losing focus. The race has been spectacular up to the moment. Very big crowds have come to watch us and the Vuelta is engaging all the fans with those summit finishes and I personally like. Suffering is made by big paces. We’re passing through extremely hard climbs, but the only thing that changes is the gear combination. The effort is the same.”
“I don’t regret neither about my season schedule nor having paid more attention to the Vuelta before. I was coming to this season after a long stop and wanted to start it strong. I went through a bad streak in the sprint; however, at the Tour, and except for the crashes, I was well with that stage victory, and things are going perfectly here. Despite this long season, I well well because, in a psychological sense, I feel like there’s just a bit to end the year. The Vuelta gives you great fitness for the Worlds and you must not train too much, because you might end up burnt. My feelings are good at the moment, there’s time to recover and I will try to get as fit as possible to the Worlds. The route suits me well and I’m excited about it.”