Daniel Díaz is pleaed to be on the verge of winning the Tour de San Luis and asks Argentina to celebrate the win because "we are also leaders in this sport." He also praised his preparation in the mountains and the great teamwork.

It may be all but guaranteed that Daniel Diaz will win the Tour de San Luis but the race leader chose a cautious approach when he spoke to the media after the queen stage.

“It was a very hard and long climb, and it was even tougher because of all the wind,” Diaz said. “But I had phenomenal work from Kleber [Da Silva] and that made it so much easier for me. In the finale, it was the two of us with Torres and Nairo, and it was hard work once it fragmented in the last kilometre.

"I am very happy, everything went perfectly according to plan in a very dangerous stage that could have been costly. I missed Alex [Diniz who abandoned the race due to gastroenteritis] but Kleber did a phenomenal job and also had enough left to win. "

"I felt good, the legs responded well and I am now close to the overall win," admitted the Funvic rider who won the race in 2013 while riding for San Luis Somos Todos. The great preparation he did for 40 days in the mountains (in Jujuy) pay dividends for the 25-year-old who has always been a great climber but has reached a new lebel in this race to beat world stars who are at the start of their season.

"All the work I did has helped me a lot. I have good legs and I climb well. This is the most important, in a very tough section with one last incredible part on this climb. Now I just have to get through Sunday's stage to win the race, "said the Argentinean.

Diaz never took his eyes off Nairo Quintana, knowing that the Colombian was his main rival. "I didn't want him to get clear. I watched him all the time because he is very dangerous," said Diaz who is on the verge of becoming the first rider to win the race twice.

"I am in the same situation as in 2013. They are two equally important wins because both this year and last time I beat very important riders.

"After the race I will rest a bit and then I will ride the Vuelta Mexico: the goal for the team is to score points to win the UCI America Tour. I confirm that I would like to return to the European circuit, but in the meantime, I will do the best here to please my loved ones and my fans."

Finally he left a message to all his Argentinean fans. "I hope Argentina will celebrate this. We have the quality and we are also leaders in cycling," he said.