Stage winner Leonardo Duque said: "I knew coming into the sprint I had a great chance to win because thanks to God I'm very fast, but three kilometres from the finish I could see Horrach and Kolobnev exchanging glances, so I tried to surprise by attacking a long way from the finish line. I couldn't pull it off, but at least I made sure the victory would be decided in the sprint and also that it would be between the three of us, not anyone chasing us from the group behind us."

Alexander Kolobnev came in second. CSC sports director Kim Andersen said: ”It was as close as it possibly could be. Alexander made absolutely no mistakes whatsoever the entire day and was totally cool in the finale, but Duque was just that tiny bit faster in the end. It was almost inevitable that a break would end up lasting so we had to get up front and do the hard work, because we didn't have anyone in the initial break. As it turned out Alexandr was the perfect choice to send because he was so strong today. It was a big shame we missed out on the victory, because we could really have used one. But we'll just have to grab the chance again, because our guys are definitely fit enough to try for a big result this last week."

The number 3 of today's stage, Jan Horrach, said: "My best landscape for racing over is the series of up-and-down hills. That’s where I gave it my best shot and used up almost all my energy. I knew there was nothing I could do in a sprint because Kolobnev and Duque are both very fast. I already had it in mind that if wasn't I able to get away from them whilst we were climbing, surprising them in the last few kilometres was practically impossible."

Saunier Duval's Javier Mejías came in 6th and was part of the original breakaway group. Mejías said: ”It was very difficult to break away. We did it after a slope before the first mountain pass, but the problem was that difficult for all of us to get through. Besides, there were some teams like Cofidis or Caisse d’Épargne that had two riders in the bunch, which makes things even worse, especially when the teammates are both ahead of and behind you. In the last stretch, I came close. I knew I could stand a good chance in a sprint because I´m fast. It´s a pity because it would have been nice. I´ll keep trying though, especially in Madrid; being in your homeland means extra motivation."

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) again experienced an easy day as the wearer of the leader's jersey. On Wednesday, Milram will have the opportunity to even the score, because the roads will mostly be flat. "I hope, and I sort of assume, that Milram and Lampre will go for the bunch sprint. After all, it is one of their last opportunities," said Rabobank sports director Erik Breukink.

Breukink also recapitulated. "It was a rather difficult day because of the track, but also because it took so long for a group to break away. But anyway, we did have everything under control."