Luis Angel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi): "I’m very happy, it's a very special jersey for me. Six years makes for a long time [he last wore the polka-dot jersey in 2018] and they go by very quickly. It was a goal from the beginning of La Vuelta. It has cost me a lot, two days of long rides to get it. Now I hope to be able to defend it with all my strength. The mountain points were very far from each other, especially in the first stage. Yesterday I took the first two, and today was key with the 2nd-category pass. I had it marked as an objective, so the first objective was achieved. Now it's time to defend it. For me, it's a moral obligation to be in the breakaway as long as I have the strength, so if that's the case, I'll fight for it every day."
