Romo extremely disappointed, Rolland breaks down in tears after missed Vuelta chance: "A psychological torture"

Romo rode well to catch up with Ayuso on the final climb, but couldn't beat him in the sprint. The Spaniard nearly smashed his handlebars in two because of the missed opportunity. After the finish, he realized his cunning compatriot had outsmarted him. “I think I was much more generous than he was,” Romo said in an interview with Eurosport. “In the end, Ayuso almost didn't want to take over. But hey, everyone races the way they want to. I'm proud of my race. I did everything I could to win.”

Movistar was the team that was best represented in the large leading group, with no fewer than five riders at the front: in addition to Romo, Carlos Canal, Iván García Cortina, Michel Hessmann, and Pablo Castrillo were also there. “The team rode a perfect race, from the first to the last rider,” said the 26-year-old climber. “We stuck to the plan we had made on the bus, and I'm pleased with the team we formed.”

On the final climb, it was up to Romo and Castrillo. “We worked well together and got to the front, even though it didn't go quite as I would have liked.” Despite the disappointment, the number two can take some comfort in the loss because his legs are good. “He was too fast for me. This season has had its ups and downs, but you have to accept them, keep working, and I'm convinced that the results will come.”

Someone who found it much harder to put things into perspective was Rolland. The young Frenchman burst into tears after the finish line: for 25 kilometers, he remained 10 to 15 seconds behind the two leading riders. "A big thank you to the whole team. They really gave me peace of mind all day. Thanks to Stefan (Küng, ed.), I had a lead before the climb, which allowed me to climb more smoothly. But I was 8 seconds short at the top... It's cruel. Now I'm disappointed, but I forgot how fast I was going and that I would have really done it if I had been able to catch up with them."

The gap seemed to close after the top of the last climb. But in the valley, it became hell. 'Then I rode the whole valley 10-15 seconds behind, it was really psychological torture. I went all out, I tried to be as aerodynamic as possible, but I had nothing left. I crossed the finish line exhausted... There are a few things I regret, but I gave it my all, so that's how it is, that's sport.“

The 22-year-old climber just lacked that little bit of experience to pace himself properly. ”At the bottom of the descent, I thought I was further behind. I wanted to give it my all to come back immediately, but I definitely didn't pace myself well. In the last kilometers, I collapsed; I really had nothing left. I'm disappointed because I had great teammates today. I'm so happy to be able to share this Vuelta with them, and I would have liked to have done something in return for them. I hope they're still proud of me."