Iván Sosa: "We knew we were strong, and could turn the tables today"

Iván Sosa has came to Movistar Team this year with the goal of performing well in the mountains and take wins for the team, and yesterday at the Vuelta a Asturias he took the first one after a strong performance at the Alto El Acebo.

Two days ago he could not match the attack of Simon Yates in the final hilltop, however as the Briton struggled today and lost time, Sosa emerged as the strongest on the final climb of the day where he made the difference to his rivals. “The legs today felt way better than yesterday. The Carabanzo climb was maybe too explosive, not so good for us, but things changed for the real better today. I’m so happy with the team’s work today – they were so strong and well coordinated," he said in a post-race interview.

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"We got to the foot of the Acebo in perfect position, saw riders struggling all over the group, and I asked my team-mates to push as hard as possible – the work as impressive. We saw BikeExchange and Yates doing so strong yesterday, in what was already a demanding stage, but the situation was in our favour today," he said. On the climb, Sergio Samitier and Antonio Pedrero pushed the pace, setting up an attack from the Colombian which proved decisive for the stage win.

"We were a bit down in morale after yesterday, but we knew we were strong, and could turn the tables today. We came here to Asturias with the aim of improving our form heading into the Giro, to do well in Italy afterwards," he added. Sure enough, Sosa appears to be on the right path towards the Giro as he's put on a strong climbing performance, which he will have to repeat many times in the coming month.

"Now that we’ve got this lead, we have to defend it and continue this progression towards Italy," he concluded. Today's stage finishes in Oviedo and it will be no easy task, with a very complicated hilly finale, however Sosa carries a 15-second lead over Lorenzo Fortunato and is on paper the man to beat.