Jerome Coppel tried to win the final big mountain stage of the Vuelta a Espana when he joined the early break. However, he lost all hope when he heard that Sky had started to chase.

Jerome Coppel has been riding strongly in the Vuelta a Espana and today he made one final breakaway attempt in the final mountain stage. Having briefly believed in his chances, he quickly learnt that it was a day for the GC riders.

"It was not easy," he said "It took time to get clear. We had to fight for a long time and it also took time to get a big gap. Initially, we were only two with Niemiec and it really hurt. I started to believe in our chances when the gap grew to 10 minutes. I thought that the favorites would perhaps not go for the stage win but when we heard that Sky were chasing, we did have too many illusions. When a team like that decides to ride, it's complicated. They are very strong collectively. We were only four. We would have had to be more.

"This was the last day to try so there are no regrets. My Vuelta balance is pretty good. The sensations are good, I joined two breakaways, I had a good time. There's still tomorrow's stage. 10 km is not really my specialty but I will give it a shot. Next, I hope to participate in the Worlds time trial."