"This is the reward for all the hard work I've done" - Santiago Buitrago delighted by stage 19 victory

For the second time in his career, Santiago Buitrago claimed a Giro d'Italia stage win. Taking a brilliant victory on stage 19, Buitrago couldn't have been more delighted.

"I'm very, very happy with this win," said the Bahrain - Victorious rider in a post-stage interview. "To be honest it was a difficult Giro, also for me personally. I really wanted to try and cross the line with my arms in the air. To arrive here on Tre Cime di Lavaredo solo is amazing. This is the reward for all the hard work I've done."

Alongside Buitrago's stage win, his teammate Damiano Caruso rose back up to 4th in the general classification. With Jonathan Milan also holding the Maglia Ciclamino it has, all-in-all been a successful race for the Bahrain - Victorious team.

“Every day we did our best to get good results. It is fantastic that I can now take another victory for the team. It gives a lot of morale to see that we are reaping the rewards of our hard work," says Buitrago, who managed to jump past perennial runner-up Derek Gee on the final climb of the day. "I saw Gee riding in front of me. He was kind of a target. I wanted to keep him within range so I wouldn't lose sight of him. In the end, with a kilometre to go, I just gave it my all. It was very tough."