With Van Aert still in the red jersey, the peloton set off in scorching heat from Spanish soil for the first time in this Vuelta, for a 170-kilometer stage. With four climbs on the schedule, it promised to be the first real battle in this Vuelta among the general classification contenders.

The heat clearly gripped the race, causing the peloton to take it relatively easy and conserve energy for the challenging finale. After Van Aert grabbed a few points in the green jersey competition during an intermediate sprint just before the foot of the final climb, he let the peloton go, opting to ride at his own pace to the top after two beautiful days in the red jersey.

Stage winner Roglic showed his strength with a fierce sprint at the top of Pico Villuercas, with several overall favorites close behind. Kuss had to let go on the steep sections, with gradients exceeding twenty percent, and eventually crossed the finish line 28 seconds behind his former teammate.

"It was an exceptionally tough day," the American said afterward. "Everyone tried to conserve energy along the way because of the heat. I didn’t feel my best on the final climb. At the finish, I saw that the gap was less than half a minute. I can live with that, considering the legs I had today. I tried to limit the damage."

As expected, Van Aert had to relinquish the red leader's jersey after two days. "The heat made it an exceptionally tough day. The stage was more controlled than we had anticipated. Everyone tried to conserve their energy. Honestly, I felt boosted by my victory yesterday. It was cool that so many riders came up to me to congratulate me on that win. It’s been two great days in red. Today, it was a bit easier to pedal," Van Aert admitted.

The Belgian will start Wednesday's predominantly flat fifth stage in the green jersey. Van Aert leads the points classification by six points ahead of Kaden Groves.