Several riders and sports director spoke to Lavuelta.com this morning before the start of stage 19. Below you can read what they had to say.

°The 2016 Vuelta a Espana will start from Ourense in the Galicia region on Aug. 20, the race’s director general, Javier Guillen, has announced. One team time trial and then four stages will take place in Galicia. The route for the three-week race will be unveiled in January.

°Paco Giner (Unipublic sport manager): “Today the two climbs are not difficult.  Aru will not be able to make a difference, Avila is a traditional Vuelta stage, Julio Jimenez, Jose Maria Jimenez and Carlos Sastre are from. It’s always a very nice win for the one who raises his arms on the finish line.”

Christian Guiberteau (Giant-Alpecin sports director): “Yesterday Tom scored a psychological point. Astana attacked and we were prepared for it. I think it was a morale blow for them. Yesterday I saw that Aru was on his own in the last climb.”

John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin): “The biggest goal is to  defend and to keep Tom in the red jersey. Maybe he can attack, he is strong on the cobbles.”

Giuseppe Martinelli (Astana sports director): “Tom Dumoulin surprised me yesterday when he managed to hold Aru’s wheel. If we can’t beat him man to man. then it’s going to have to be collective  with the collaboration of Movistar and Majka. Last night Aru told me  three seconds seems nothing but against him it’s a lot.”

Jose Azevedo (Katusha sports director): “The more it goes the more we realize it’s going to be hard to finish higher than third. Dumoulin is surprising every day. Even in the TT after 17 days of racing and big days in the mountains. We will only move if Astana attack. And the only solution is tomorrow because today is a stage for a breakaway. Tomorrow we have to remember the scenario of Fuente De when Contador unexpectedly overturned the situation.”

Tristan Hoffman (Tinkoff-Saxo sports director): “We have to pay attention to the breakaway and protect Rafal. I don’t think the GC guys will move today. We’re going to go all out on Saturday, we’re still hoping for a podium finish.”

Nicolas Roche (Team Sky): “The plan is pretty much the same as yesterday, it’s to get in the breakaway. The team GC is a  bit far away for us now but that makes it easier to get into the breakaway. We also have to protect Mikel because it’s a technical finish and we don’t want to lose 10-15 seconds stupidly in a split.”

Erik  Dekker (LottoNL-Jumbo sports director): “Once again we will want to be in the breakaway, like every day. It’s a hard finish. It will depend on how the GC teams ride the stage. It could be a big group  at the end or a breakaway. We’re banking on the breakaway.”

Dirk Demol (Trek Factory sports director): “There is a very very big chance the breakaway will go again. I was surprised it took so long to go yesterday. In my opinion the GC riders will be quiet. The D-day is tomorrow. Today, Tom Dumoulin could maybe take time in the last two kilometres.”

Frank Schleck (Trek Factory): “I won the stage that inspired me most and since then I have been enjoying the trace a lot. So I’m very motivated for the end-of-season races in Italy, especially the tour of Lombardy.”

Yvon Ledanois (BMC Racing sports director): “It’s a stage that’s quite easy to control but there is room to attack. It’s the riders who make the race, not the terrain. It’s a mythical stage, only great riders won there. Yesterday I did not see a great Aru and I saw a Dumoulin easily following him.”

Johan Vansummeren (AG2r-La Mondiale): “I’m just going to follow the Avila direction signs. I’m so tired and I also have a sore throat but I will reach Madrid. I will try to be in the breakaway but the likelihood is that I won’t make it.”

Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling): “I’ve been suffering for two days now, my ribs hurt and it’s  going to be the case for 10 days. Yesterday I tried to be in the front but I failed, it started so fast. I will try again today anyway but everybody wants to be in the breakaway so it’s not easy.”

Didier Rous (Cofidis sports director): “Today is going to be the last chance to win a stage for a lot of teams. What bothers me is that my guys have been sick, there’s a virus in the peloton. Stephane Rossetto showed us his qualities and his shortcomings in his first grand tour. He’s determined , he recovers well and he’s well-behaved. His weak spot is he struggles to fight for his place in the peloton. If he can change that he will surprise everyone because he is a fresh rider.”

Mario Chiesa (IAM Cycling sports director): “Our start to the Vuelta was catastrophic. Pellaud hit a car at training the Wednesday before the start and stayed hours at the hospital. We also had  two riders at the hospital on the first Sunday night. Degand crashed out in the fifth stage and Reynes had kidney stones during four days. I’m satisfied that the lads have been hanging on and now I hope everyone reached Madrid. We’ll be looking to be in the breakaways. Today Jerome Coppel is the best placed to do that.”

Benoit Genauzeau (Europcar sports director): “Romain Sicard had a bad day yesterday, just like he had in the last mountain stage.  He had made up for that one with a very good TT. He’s 15th in the GC and the team will be around him tomorrow.”

Franck Pineau (FDJ sports director): “Kenny [Elissonde] must go in the breakaway. If he’s well placed in the GC it’s thanks to his aggressive riding so he has to go in the breakaway like De Clercq and Cardoso did yesterday. He’s 15 minutes behind in GC he has the liberty to go.”