Primoz Roglic finished the first mountain stage within the group of favorites, but he didn’t seem to be entirely comfortable in Andorra.
The stage would have been a typical match for Roglic’s characteristics. Everyone had placed their bets on the Slovenian as the big favorite, but in the sprint with a small group of contenders, Roglic got boxed in and couldn’t contend for the finish. The fact that Vingegaard was on Evenepoel’s wheel proved crucial for the team. It was either a tactical error or Roglic simply couldn’t keep up with the best.
A day later, the Jumbo-Visma leader admits that, in any case, he still feels some discomfort due to the fall last Sunday in the slippery conditions of Barcelona. “Although I’m really content with my performance on Monday, I’ve been dealing with some issues from my fall since Sunday,” he told the Slovenian press. “But I’ll keep moving forward.”
“We’ll see how it goes in the upcoming days. I’m taking it day by day, but everything should be fine. Things will improve.” It’s worth noting that Remco Evenepoel has already built up a 37-second lead after just 3 stages of the Vuelta a España.