Julian Arredondo emerged as the strongest in the first big mountain stage of the Tour de San Luis. We have already posted several reactions in separate news and have gathered a few more below.

Gilles Mas (DS for Ag2r whose best rider was Domenico Pozzovivo in 5th)

"The team worked well and we saw a very good squad. Domenico felt good and was cared for by his teammates. He made a beautiful climb but there was a strong headwind and it was difficult to escape. Today we saw that Domenico is really good and this is reassuring for the weekend. Difficult stages are still to come and there are great things to do."

Michele Scarponi (Astana, 41st on the stage, 41st on GC +6.35)

“Maybe today was even hotter than yesterday. All you can do is keep drinking water, there’s nothing else. Except..I like to dump a cold bottle on my head, because I’m a little bit bald and it feels nice to cool off a hot scalp.”

Claudio Cozzi (DS for Katusha whose best rider was Alberto Losada in 36th)

“Danny Moreno and “Purito” [Joaquim Rodriguez] are not yet at a fitness level to compete for victory so like last year, they rode the climb at their own pace. Only Alberto Losada tested himself and gave a big effort to see how his fitness is coming along.”

Alberto Losada (Katusha, 36th, 36th on GC +5.49)

“I wanted to do a good test on the last climb. I did the same last year and I’m happy with the way I feel since it’s better than last year. This gives me an indication of how far I’ve come now in my training, and I can say my preparation has been good.  But it was a hard day today because of the heat, especially on the last climb."

Daniel Moreno (Katusha, 91st, 105th on GC +11.58) who was hit by a car in early January

“I’m still having problems with my back because of the accident.  I don’t yet have the movement possible for sudden explosive movement.”

Orlando Maini (DS for Lampre-Merida whose best rider was Winner Anacona in 21st)

"Today the heat had loosened its grip slightly. The pack could ride at a higher pace and approach the climb of Mirador del Potrero at a competitive speed. For us, it was not a good day. Unfortunately, Serpa and Cunego had punctures that influenced their performance. We know that the level is high so the result was not a goal but it would still be interesting to get an indication from a demanding test like this one today."

Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida, 30th on the stage, 30th on GC +5.17)

"It's a shame to have had the inconvenience of a puncture just before the climb. I wanted to test my condition. I tried to do so. I saw that my legs were good on the climb. I have also passed several pure climbers and have limited the gap to the first."

Ivan Santaromita (Orica-GreenEDGE, 7th on the stage, 10th on GC +4.21)

At the start of the race, the breakaway with five riders went away. Today’s escape included all riders from South American teams. Unlike yesterday, the gap never got too big. Garmin did the work from the start, and they kept the breakaway’s advantage very small. It was easy for them to bring them back before the finish.

We let Garmin do their work and focused on the finish. Today’s stage ended with a 4.8 kilometre, 6.7 percent mountain. The team worked for me today. I thought I would test myself and maybe have a chance for the stage win. I wanted to see what my condition is after the time away from racing. I also wanted to get a good result for the team in one of my first races with my new squad.

My teammates did a great job bringing me to the bottom of the climb in a good position. After they left me, my job was to stay with the leaders. Peter Stetina (BMC) attacked after about one kilometre of climbing. Only Arredondo was able to bridge across. The rest of us fought all the way to the finish for the smaller places. I finished in seventh place – not bad but also not as good as what I had hoped.

I’m in tenth place on the general classification now, so it’s still possible that I can make a good result. We came here without big plans for the overall, and I don’t want to cause too much stress for myself or the team. It’s only the first race of the season. Still, if there’s a chance to win one stage or do a good GC result, of course, we’ll go for it.

Oscar Pellicioli (DS for Colombia whose best rider was Miguel Angel Rubiano in 9th and who had both Rubiano and Fabio Duarte involved in a crash)

“The crash with 30 km to go could mess up our plans, but Avila, Duque, Valencia and Arango did a great job, giving their all for the leaders and showing an outstanding team spirit. Miguel was feeling very good on the final climb, but being at only his second day of racing he wanted to test his legs rather than taking a risk to follow Arredondo. He still had energy on the finishing line though, and we are confident in his possibilities for the days to come.

"Duarte was very unlucky, as he reported a mechanical issue due to the crash, and finally had to climb at a steady pace. He had good feelings though, and will have more chances to test himself in the next stages."