Miguel Angel Lopez believes his days of long-distance mountain racing in the Tour de France are over, but insisted he still has a chance to shine in what he described as "a very open race."

The Colombian rode a nearly flawless opening week, especially powering through the crosswinds of stage 7 with his Astana teammates. On the second day in the Pyrenees, he came into the rest day in ninth place.

After finishing with the leading riders on stage 8, he fell on the Marie Blanc pass on stage 9, losing the race to Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma), Eoghan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates), Mikel Landa ( Bahrain McLaren) and others, 54 seconds, and 43 seconds to most of the other podium contenders. He entered the second week of the season 1:15 behind Roglic and 47 seconds off the podium.

"The ratings are pretty good. I'm about a minute behind the leaders, but I still have a long way to go and more than half of the race left.

"Almost nothing has happened so far. We have had a very tough nine days, but in my opinion the Tour is very open. Many battles lie ahead and many opportunities remain."

"I am very happy to be here.

He did not specify that podiums would be his goal. He said, "It's difficult to reply. In fact, a lot can happen from here until the end of the race. Crashes, wind ...... In the mountains, one day you feel empty, the next day you feel good. So I don't think about tomorrow, I just take it one day at a time."

Lopez emphasized the overall strength of Jumbo Visma, but also mentioned Roglic and Pogachar as players who look very strong. As for his approach to the next two weeks, he said, "We will wait for the right time and try to take advantage."

The problem, he feels, is that after podium finishes at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, there is not much room for advantage in his first Tour de France.

"Cycling has changed a lot in recent years due to technology and many other factors that affect racing. For example, Jumbo Visma allowed everyone to be a leader, and so did Ineos. For example, everyone on Jumbo Visma was able to be a leader, and so were the Ineos. The presence of so much talent on these teams reduced the opportunity for long-distance attacks and one-on-one battles with rivals.

"It was the same the other day [stage 8]. On the Peyresourde pass, the leaders were the only ones looking at each other. Pogachar took advantage of that moment. It used to be generally the case, but now it is rare that all the leaders are isolated. When that happens, the spectacle is lost and there are fewer opportunities for attacks and big moves. Nowadays, it is more common to hang on and get on the wheel.

He singled out the two Slovenians, Roglic and Pogachar, as the strongest riders in the race, but Lopez knew very well that he was one of four Colombians in the top ten. When asked by the enthusiastic Colombian media if he and Bernal, Nairo Quintana (Arkea Samsic), and Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling) could form some kind of alliance to compete with the Slovenian duo, Lopez enjoyed the idea but He did not believe that the Tour would be raced in different countries.

"Everyone was talking about Colombia and that the best climbers are from Colombia, but cycling continues to evolve and we have seen in the last few days that Slovenia clearly has strong riders. It's a good battle. Slovenia has clearly shown in the last few days that they are strong riders and they might even be stronger than us in the time trial.

"The other three Colombians have a chance to be on the podium. Egan is second and will go into the second week with a boost in morale. Uran is a veteran who can use his experience. We all belong to different teams and have different interests. We are all from the same country and for me it is not a question of forming some kind of alliance. It's open at this point and more down the road, when things are clearer," Lopez said.

He confirmed that he was tested for COVID-19 on Monday morning and will get the results Tuesday morning, but he and his fellow athletes expressed concern for the fans along the way.

Spectator access by car to the climbs was blocked, but the large crowds still swarmed the Pyrenees, and many athletes were displeased by the large number of fans who did not wear masks or keep their distance from the athletes.

"The Tour is taking all possible measures, but what has been missing in recent days is a little cooperation from the fans. 'As riders, staff and organizers, we're doing everything we can, but it's scary to pass these fans on the climbs. I know there's an excitement in the moment when you see the Tour, but maybe they're forgetting the bad times they're experiencing at COVID.