Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) again proved that he is getting back to his best when he finished second in today's hard stage of the Giro d'Italia.

"For a long time, I have dreamed about being competitive again and now it's a reality," he said. "Being on the bike is what I love and I start to have fun sagain. I went through some tough times recently but I could count on the support of my family and also my team AG2R La Mondiale. I worked hard to get here. I crashed, it's part of the race . Today, despite that, I had the plan to be in front. Obviously I thought about the victory, but it's difficult in this Giro and Zakarin was very strong.

"The mountains jersey? Many of us to want it but with the help of God I could do it. Now I know one thing: good things will happen to me."