Alejandro Valverde continued his dominance in the Vuelta a Andalucia when he won the queen stage in impressive fashion. We have already posted several reactions and have gathered a few more below.

Tim Wellens (Lotto Belisol, part of the early breakaway, 113th +14.40)

"It wasn't planned actually to join a breakaway but in the opening phase I was riding well in the front part of the peloton. That way I could jump away. It was impossible to stay in front because too few teams were present in the front group. Soon we got five minutes lead but Movistar didn't let us get any further ahead. If more riders would have been in the break, that might have been an advantage for us. Today was a good test for my condition. Unlike some other guys in the break I never had any problems. My shape is getting better every day and that's positive with the races that are coming up."

Christian Guiberteau (sports director Giant-Shimano whose best rider was Daan Olivier in 37th)

“It was a strong ride from Simon [Geschke] out front all day. It meant that the guys behind could sit back and concentrate on the finish. Daan Olivier rode a strong climb at the end, giving it his all but couldn’t hold on when the speed really went up towards the end. It was a promising day though, and tomorrow will be much different with a flatter parcours.”

Josu Larrazabal (sports director Trek whose best rider was Juliean Arredondo in 12th)

“It was clear that yesterday was not the usual Julián. Today he was in the top 10 up to the last kilometer, and at the end did not quite have it, but compared to yesterday, it was a great showing.

“Haimar [Zubeldia] kept his own rhythm on the climb. His feeling was not as good as yesterday, and he had a bad moment at the start of the climb. Of course he is not super happy with the result, but we are working here to prepare for races later in March, so in this sense it was good.

“Movistar spent the whole day at the front pulling, no other teams were helping at all, but with the way Valverde is riding right now that is to be expected. Only Sky was there, pulling on the last climb.

“Today we had the freedom to get in a breakaway; that was our goal. Also, to try and make the race a little harder for Movistar, but even like this, at the end it made no difference. It was good work by Markel [Irizar, part of the break] today, especially for preparation for the Classics.

“Tomorrow will normally be a a day for the sprinters and we will have Danilo [Hondo] work with Fabio [Silvestre] to try something in the sprint. And the last day could be good for a breakaway. We will see."

Daniel Navarro (Cofidis, 3rd +0.01)

"At the end a third place is now worth much but I put on a show. In the last kilometres, Richie Porte attacked and split everything. Only four were left. I tried on three occasions because I felt very strong but Valverde and the entire Movistar were unbeatable and I couldn't get away. In the end it came to a sprint and Valverde won.

"The feelings get better day by day and today I felt much better than yesterday. Yesterday's finish was a very explosive climb that gave a lot of pain in the legs and I was dropped but today the climb was better because it was longer and better for climbers. The team worked very well and it is a pity that I couldn't win but it is my third day of competition since August so I have to be happy."

Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural, 2nd +0.01)

"The truth is that I feel better every day. The team rode well and worked well together. Movistar and Sky are very strong and are making a tough race. Alejandro [Valverde] is very strong and demonstrated it again today. You can only congratulate him. We were happy after the stage and now think ahead to the next. We have had a very hard stage with some hard moments. In the final kilometre, a change of pace cost me a bit and I had to recover. In the finale, Alejandro was the strongest and demonstrated it again.

"The team is riding at a competitive and high level. I think it is the way to continue. We have been very close and if we continue in this way, we will achieve a victory sooner or later. In the next stage, we have to stay vigilant to see what we can do and keep fighting."

Marcos Garcia (Caja Rural, 9th +0.09)

"I am very satisfied as we are riding well as a team and is third with Luisle. David Arroyo was also very good to stay with the best. We won the daily teams classification and that shows that we have a strong team. Luis Leon has again demonstrated that he is strong. If he had had a bit more luck, he could have won. Valverde is unbeatable, three out of three. We have had some hard days and we will see if the next stage will not be a bit calmer before we get to Sunday."

Eugenio Goikoetxea (sports director Caja Rural whose best rider was Luis Leon Sanchez in 2nd)

"We were good but have a slightly bittersweet taste as we were very close. This was the stage that would shape the GC and Luisle has responded well to take 2nd. It is hard to be so close to victory. He was up against an unbeatable Valverde and there was little to be done. The team work extremely well. As well as being ahead and fight for the stage win, we won the daily teams classification and we are 2nd in the overall standings. It is a shame to be so close: 2nd in the stage, 3rd on GC and 2nd in the teams classification."

Tomasz Marczynski (CCC Polsat, 50th +5.37)

"Even though it may have seemed easy, today's stage was very difficult. From the very beginning, we had to help Davide [Rebellin] and have a rider in the breakaway. We managed to do everything except of finishing it off. I rode with Davide in the front group but unfortunately I couldn't keep up with the murderous tempo set by the Sky riders. When I got dropped, Davide was still in the group. Unfortunately, he failed to finish the stage with the best. We still lack a little bit. The race is not over yet and we will certainly try to continue our fight."

Sergio Pardilla (MTN Qhubeka, 13th +0.22)

“Today was really hard because there was not a level meter of road. We were going fast all day because Movistar was working hard on the front all the way to the climb. Then Sky took responsibility of the race on the climb.

“The team did a great job to protect me and deliver me to the front positions before the final climb. I am satisfied with my result and even though I am not in my best condition yet I can feel I am getting better with each day. The presence of my fan club on the final climb was really exciting and also a great help.

“Tomorrow will be an important day for us because we have a very good opportunity for a victory with Ciolek."

Manel Lacambra (sports director MTN Qhubeka whose best rider was Sergio Pardilla in 13th)

“In general I am happy about today’s stage because the team was working well together by protecting Sergio. Then Sergio did a great race. It is only the start of the season and he doesn’t have top form but was still fighting with the top riders.

“Over the next days we will continue to fight for a podium finish. The most important factor is that the team is going better day by day, this will help us to take confidence into the next races."

David Lozano (Novo Nordisk, 64th +8.02)

“It was a really fast start and I kept trying to get into the break. Unfortunately I was still recovering from spending yesterday in the break. The last climb was difficult, maybe not the steepest I’ve done, but because of the headwind, it felt like the hardest climb of my career.”