"I survived, it's a good day" - But Jonas Vingegaard shows weakness of steep Vuelta climb

Jonas Vingegaard did not have a good day at the Vuelta a Espana, but in the big picture the outcome was, as João Almeida also had difficulties on the climb to the Alto de El Morredero, and the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider even managed to put in two seconds in his closest and most direct competitor.

"The five or six of us in the lead were riding close together the whole time. I didn't have the best day on the bike, but I survived. I guess these are the stages where you want to and there's nothing left to do but survive, since you're not at 100%," Vingegaard said in a post-race interview. "If you can finish it without losing time it's a good day".

Vingegaard held it together on the final climb, where his Visma teammates supported him well, but at a certain point it was always going to come down to a direct battle between the GC men. Vingegaard stayed in the wheels the entire climb, but so did Almeida. The podium and Top5 contenders instead battled it out, with gaps at the finish being small during the ascent's almost 10% average gradient.

Now, he is left hoping for a time-trial that is better than the one from the Tour de France. "To be honest, that time trial was horrible on my part. I hope this time I can do well. That's the feeling I have, at least. I know it's flat, but I'm confident of doing well. Hopefully we can get out of the stage with more time".

As it is a time trial, the security forces will have a harder time ensuring that the stage is held correctly than if it were a normal day. Pro-Palestinian protests are making a dent in the Vuelta a España, and in the time trial it is expected that they will try again.

For Jonas Vingegaard, the wish is that everything goes well and that it can be played without the constant threat of suspension: "I know they are tuning up for the Valladolid time trial. I hope tomorrow will be a good day on the time trial bike".