The stage from Pamplona was directly controlled by Team Jumbo-Visma. After Movistar took over, a breakaway was reeled in quickly. On the Alto de San Miguel de Aralar the pace was very high and the peloton was quickly reduced to ten riders including - in addition to Roglic - also Sepp Kuss and George Bennett for Team Jumbo-Visma. The latter two kept Soler within striking distance in the last ten kilometres.

“This is another great result”, Roglic said. “It was a difficult and nervous stage due to the wind. The team did a fantastic job of keeping control and always keeping me in a good position. Movistar rode very fast on the climb, but Sepp and George managed that well. Even when Carapaz attacked. So far, things are going well for us and hopefully we can maintain this flow. The Vuelta is still long and I definitely expect a tough battle with Carapaz and the Movistar guys, among others. I think today was fun to watch.”

Tom Dumoulin has faced better days. “I didn’t have the legs to compete with the best. But the most important fact after today is that we are still in the lead and the team is very strong. I have also shown in the Tour that I can be very valuable in a serving role”, the Dutchman concluded.