The stage was ideal for early breakaways. Remco Evenepoel was the strongest of the 14-man breakaway, with the Jumbo-Visma riders controlling the race in the background.

"It's an honour to have two such champions working for you”, said Kuss, referring to Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic controlling the pace on the final climb for the GC leader. "They have both won some big races in the recent past. So this is a great honour”, said Kuss, who was impressed by the support from the roadside. "It's probably the best part of being a professional cyclist. You feel the passion and the emotion when people cheer you on from the sidelines. It touches me every time.”

"It was not an easy stage”, Kuss continued. "The last climb was quite challenging. I'm glad that I was strong enough to stay at the front. I always try to stay focused, have confidence in myself and ride to the finish as fast as possible. I'm grateful for the work that Jonas and Primoz did for me today. It means a lot to me. Although it might be difficult to see from the outside, we have a clear plan.”

"That plan was to defend Sepp's leading position”, Vingegaard said. "As a team, we have done that with flying colours. We are in an excellent position, but we are not there yet. Saturday's stage is treacherous. It's fantastic to be able to do something for Sepp in this way. I will always remember what he has done for me. So, I wanted to give something back. Hopefully, we can bring his red jersey to the finish line.”

Roglic is also enjoying the strength of the collective. "I'm happy with the way things are going. Today's stage was mainly about defending our positions in the general classification. Sepp is still wearing the red jersey, which puts us in a good position. In the next few days, we still have some tests that will require us to stay focused. Winning the Vuelta would be amazing.”