At the first rest day of the Vuelta a España, Cannondale team leader Ivan Basso reflected positively on the opening half of this year’s Vuelta, satisfied with what he achieved though remaining well aware that the hardest part of the race is yet to come.

After ten stages in Spain Basso is placed 7th on general classification 2'20" down on Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) who holds "la roja" the red leader’s jersey after igniting a couple of the summit finishes thus far in the Spanish Grand Tour.

For his own part Basso declared his satisfaction about his performance on the first ten stages, saying that continuously finishing among the best riders has boosted his confidence.

"Yes, I'm satisfied for what I did until today" said Basso when looking back. "To always be among the first positions in the hardest stages has been an important boost of confidence for me. It's something that helps me to look to next stages with serenity and confidence. What is scheduled for the next days will be really hard. The first ten stages were hard too, of course, but next weekend, with the three days in the Pyrenees, will mark a division among the riders who are aiming high for the GC. The positions will be well-defined. Until that day my personal ambitions won't change."

The only slight disappointment for Basso came in the team time trial that kicked off the Vuelta this year.

"In the first part of this Vuelta, only the opening team time trial race has been a clashing day. It was not the real value of this team and during the days after we were able to show that the TTT did not reflect our true strength. We did all that we wanted and planned. I feel a motivated and united group around me, ready to support and to work for the common cause."

Basso looked forward to Wednesday’s individual time trial with some confidence and a firm belief that he can put in a solid performance to further boost his campaign prior to the decisive mountain stages.

"Tomorrow we'll restart with an important test, the individual time trial. This morning I had a recon on the route which I found nice, interesting and suited to my characteristics. Of course, only the time I'll be able to achieve at the finish will count, but I'm confident that I will be able to do a good race," added Basso.