Team Jumbo-Visma saw the vicious final of the 16th stage as one of the opportunities to gain time on classification leader Remco Evenepoel, among others. "We had planned to attack in the final phase of this stage”, sports director Addy Engels explained. "We knew this was Primoz's stage. We first set out to win the stage, but the time advantage that came with it was equally valuable to us. Everything went as planned until Primoz experienced terrible luck in the last few metres."

Engels was referring to the Slovenian's crash a few hundred metres from the finish. "Primoz rode a super strong final. His attack at three kilometres from the end was vicious. He was on his way to gaining time on all his direct competitors. We didn't even notice that Evenepoel broke down when Primoz was making his effort. He went flat out to the finish. Looking back, we are not so happy about it. Yes, Primoz managed to gain time but had to pay for it with a huge crash. It is obvious that he was hurt. We hope the harm is not severe and he can finish the Vuelta. The eight seconds time gain is obviously not worth the injuries to his body.”

After the stage, Roglic was examined and treated by the Vuelta’s medical staff. The team doctor will oversee any additional care.