Andrey Amador is known as a loyal domestique who can climb well and has been part of many great wins for Movistar team. E clearly enjoys the Giro and took his only pro win at the race in 2012. But in 2015, he led the team to a great fourth place in a race where the team didn’t have great GC hopes. He spoke to CyclingQuotes.com about his Giro and his role for the team in the upcoming Vuelta a Espana, which starts on Saturday.

First of all, Amador, from Costa Rica, summed up the first eight months of his 2015 season, saying that the Giro was the obvious highlight, but that he wouldn’t give an overall judgement until December.

“The season hasn’t ended yet, but I’m happy for the moment. I did a great Giro d’Italia, maybe no one will remember my 4th position, but I will, and I want to keep growing to get more good results for myself and for the team.”

Of course, Amador came to prominence in the Giro three years ago when he took a stage win and this year the Italian Grand Tour was the stage for Amador to show off his good climbing to defend his GC result in the last week and finish fourth overall.

“The Giro was fantastic, I was fighting with some of the best riders in the peloton: Contador, Aru, Landa… Until Milano, I believed that the podium was possible, but finally the 4th position made me smile too. It is my best result in a GT and without a doubt, it means a lot for me, but it is not a success, because everybody wants to win and a 4th position is not good for anyone, but I’m happy.”

Amador wasn’t just popular in the Giro because of his form and results too. Commentators worldwide were talking about the 28 year old due to the great support he was getting from back home in Costa Rica, not a country well known for its love affair with cycling. But for three weeks, Amador was all the entire nation could talk about. He says that he was aware of the support and he is grateful to all of his fans.

“Maybe in Europe I haven’t got a lot of fans, but there (Costa Rica), people are cheering for me all the time and it is fantastic because we appreciate these things, especially when we are in a competition. Some fans came from Costa Rica to Milano to support me and I’m very grateful to all of them. Costa Rica is a small country but the people have a big heart.”

Despite his fourth on GC in Italy, Amador says he has no ambitions to become a GC rider, preferring to focus on the Cobbled Classics, which he states are his dream.

“I don’t think about it (a Grand Tour GC), it is not something that doesn’t allow me to sleep. It is always good fighting for a Grand Tour but my work is to support great leaders and I will do so until I retire. Anyway, I prefer classics like E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem… they make me dream, and I will always be fighting to win some of them.”

Attention then turned to the year’s final Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana. Amador says he wants to help one of the team’s two leaders, Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, win the overall.

“My role is to support great liders. In Movistar we have two of the best riders in the peloton: Alejandro and Nairo and they will be in La Vuelta. The team goal, without a doubt, is to win La Vuelta with one of them and we will fight for it.”

But he says if he can win a stage in the race, it would be fantastic. But he stressed that the most important thing to him is seeing a Movistar rider in the red jersey on top of the podium in three weeks time in Madrid.

“I always try to do my best. We want to win La Vuelta with Nairo or Alejandro and, finally, if I win a stage, it would be fantastic. But my first goal is to help my teammates to get the general classification.”