"It's been a very hard Vuelta, very demanding" - Richard Carapaz nearing final podium with two stages to go at 2024 Vuelta a Espana

Primoz Roglic launched what seems like a fatal blow for the Red Jersey fight at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana on stage 19. The fight for the podium behind however, now looks incredibly tight with an exciting finale to the Spanish Grand Tour expected.

Looking ahead to Saturday's queen stage, the focus will be on the fight for the final podium in the general classification. Ben O'Connor, Enric Mas and Richard Carapaz will fight between Saturday and Sunday for the 2 remaining spots on the final podium in Madrid. After stage 19, Carapaz, who lost 13 seconds to Enric Mas who now trails him by 34 seconds (but is 46 seconds behind O'Connor), explains how hard it's been to compete for the best overall positions, and what it's costing him to get to the end of La Vuelta.

"I had a very good climb," begins the EF Education-EasyPost leader, who crossed the finish line 9th and is 4th overall ahead of stage 20. "Tomorrow will be a new day and a different battle. It's been a very hard Vuelta, very demanding, with steep climbs, very explosive and at the end the fatigue shows."