'We can always hope' - Battling Roglic stays in Vuelta hunt with smart Aitana display

In the absence of Tadej Pogačar, who had so dominated this race before breaking his collarbone in a crash on Saturday afternoon, the Vuelta took on a new guise on this demanding leg through the hinterland of Alicante. 

Decathlon CMA CGM dictated terms for much of the final climb, but Felix Gall was unable to shake off his rivals once his teammates had completed their work. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) made a bold bid for glory further up the ascent but paid a price in the final reckoning, losing almost a minute. 

Mas launched what proved to be the winning move with 3km to go, launching a crisp acceleration that only Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) could follow. 

Amid that flurry of attacks, Roglič was content to bide his time, and he chose his moments wisely. He bridged steadily across to Mas and Onley inside the final 2km and then hung on as best he could when the maillot rojo upped the ante again near the flamme rouge.

Although Roglič couldn’t hold the wheel, he limited the damage well, crossing the line 12 seconds down on the day’s winner Mas. He remains second overall, 1:18 down on Mas and 21 seconds clear of Gall. 

At the finish, Roglič offered up a succinct, almost stream of consciousness response when asked to assess his day.

“Like I said, we can always hope, but good, I’m super happy, mate,” Roglič said. “I didn’t do much, but it’s beautiful to ride a bike now, outside in nice weather, hard climbs. Some guys [were] too fast, but I’m happy.”

Roglič has reason to be. The four-time winner’s participation in the Vuelta was in doubt until days before the start in Monaco after he suffered a training crash in July. But he exceeded expectations by finishing with the other podium contenders in the second group behind a rampant Pogačar in Andorra on stage 4.

With Pogačar now out of the equation and with a 32km time trial to come in Jerez de la Frontera in the final week, Roglič is an obvious threat for final overall victory.

“For sure it opened, definitely,” Roglič said of his compatriot’s abandon. “But you know, you don’t wish anything bad to happen to anyone, so I just wish him a fast recovery.”