“I’m proud and over the moon”, an emotional Vingegaard said. “I can’t imagine a better day. My little daughter Frida is celebrating her birthday today. So I wanted to win the stage. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, but I’m hoping this will more than make up for it. This victory is for her.”

Team Jumbo-Visma set the pace at the start of the stage. On the climb to the Col d’Aubisque, several riders got into trouble. Eventually, an elite group reached the Col du Tourmalet. Following a good team effort, Vingegaard launched an attack, and the two-time Tour winner rode solo to his maiden Vuelta stage victory. Kuss and Roglic completed the Jumbo-Visma success by finishing second and third, half a minute behind their teammate.

“We had our sights set on this stage”, Vingegaard said. “We wanted to gain time on the competition, which we managed to do. Then, finishing first, second, and third makes it really unique. We now have three team members in the top three in the overall standings. It’s perfect in every way. Our goal is to win the Vuelta. At the moment, it looks promising.”

Despite being happy with the stage victory, sports director Marc Reef recommended restraint. “First of all, my compliments to Robert Gesink. He controlled the pace from the first climb. He was very valuable today. After that, the guys were exceptional. But each stage demands that we remain focused. We still have a long way to go, though we are already in a better place than yesterday. Today’s 1-2-3 is exceptional. We will celebrate that tonight.”

Kuss retained the red jersey. The 28-year-old American leads teammates Roglic and Vingegaard by over a minute and a half. “It was a dream scenario. We are thrilled with the way we used our collective strength today. We are in a good position, but tomorrow is another tough mountain stage. It’s up to us to keep doing well.”

As of today, Team Jumbo-Visma has 58 victories this year. It was Vingegaard’s 14th win of the season.