Tour de Pologne win "makes me feel very motivated" - Sergio Higuita on stage win, yellow jersey and Vuelta a Espana

Sergio Higuita won stage three of the Tour de Pologne today with a strong performance that has earned him his fifth win of the season.

“This year I'm much more mature as a racer. Looking at the Vuelta, of course this makes me feel very motivated. It's my fifth win of the season, too, so this is turning into a really great year for me," Higuita said in a post-race interview, clearly hinting at the main objective for the coming period, however aware of the success he had just achieved.

Higuita had a suiting finale today with the finishing ramps going up to 15%, and kept up with the attacks that came in the final kilometer, to take a win in the final sprint between the riders who resisted. He took the yellow jersey alongside the stage win, and will now be looking to defend it in the coming days.

"I hope I can do well in the time trial, it's a kind of uphill TT which suits me a bit better," the Colombian mentioned, pointing towards what he thinks will be the crucial day when it comes to the GC. "I'll try and do as well as I can there to be on the podium at least and maybe to win," he admits.

Higuita was asked about his preparation leading up to the race, knowing that he's also using it for preparation for the Vuelta a Espana. He finished the Tour de Suisse in second place, as he described the time since: "I did a good TT there, then I was at altitude for a month and then came here, so we'll see how the Vuelta goes".

Now Higuita will have the more difficult task of keeping the lead of the Tour de Pologne throughout some tricky days where the race can be quite open, but he's currently in pole position to go for the win.