The yellow-and-black formation had a quiet day on the straight roads between Ólvega and Zaragoza. Roglic caused some excitement by picking up bonification seconds in the intermediate sprint 15 kilometres from the finish. As a result, the Slovenian moved up four seconds in the general classification.

"On a quiet stage like this, it's important to stay out of trouble”, sports director Marc Reef said. "We managed that. Sepp, Jonas and Primoz were always in a good position to avoid risks. Everyone crossed the line safely, which was the most important thing.”

This weekend, the peloton heads for the Pyrenees. The Col du Tourmalet is the finish location of the queen stage on Friday. "The two stages in the Pyrenees will be very important for the general classification”, Reef continued. "This is where the strength of the GC contenders will be seen for the first time. We are in good shape, and we have a plan. We are all looking forward to it.”

Race leader Kuss is confident heading into the critical Pyrénées weekend. "It's great that Primoz and Jonas believe in me. I have already received a lot of support and advice from them. The three of us are still in the top ten, which works in our favour. It's hard to say how tomorrow's stage will go, but we'll support each other”, the American concluded.