"Sometimes you have to cry silently," is what new Volta a Catalunya race leader Nairo Quintana (Arkea Samsic) has been saying for the past few seasons.

But that changed radically on Thursday's toughest stage of the Volta a Catalunya, as Quintana took his first race lead in a World Tour event since briefly taking the lead in the first week of the 2019 Vuelta a España.

After finishing second in a three-way sprint battle with winner Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and fellow Colombian Sergio Iguita (Bora-Hansgrohe), Quintana is now tied with the Portuguese in time.

However, with his stage position up, Quintana is now the overall leader. He will likely face a dramatic battle in the three remaining hilly stages, but there was a clear sense of redemption in the air as Quintana faced the press after a tough two years.

"I always feel good on the bike," he said. When asked, "How does the bike always feel?

Revealing a deep vein of natural stoicism, the 32-year-old added, "But sometimes when that happens, you have to shut up, cry, and keep going. But when that happens, you have to shut up, cry, and keep going."

"But I always kept my head held high and tried to stay as motivated as possible. The whole team had the same attitude and now we are reaping the rewards."

For Quintana, leading the Volta a Catalunya means rewinding the years back not only to 2016, when he won the race outright, but also to 2011, when he was racing on the small Café de Colombia-Colombia Es Pasion team before Movistar Then he said.

"Eleven years ago I was competing in the Volta a Catalunya for the first time, fighting for the mountains jersey. I can't believe that 10 years later I'm still here and still the leader."

Quintana must be keeping an eye on Almeida and Igita as much as possible for the possibility of keeping the lead. However, it would be unwise to rule out these bakers dozen, as the remaining three stages are very hilly and 13 are still within a minute of the danger zone.

For Arkea-Samsic, winning the World Tour Stage Race would also be the first time in team history since Quintana joined the team in 2020. With their relative inexperience in defending such a high-level title, it seems certain that their opponents will test them as much as they can over the next three days.

On the possibility of holding onto the top spot by this slim margin, he insisted, "It's more a matter of looking ahead now than looking behind. The key in this situation is to fight for bonuses with the team we have.

"If we don't win, we keep fighting. And if we do win, it will be historic."