"I wasn't in it for the win" - Primoz Roglic remains enigmatic after losing time on Juan Ayuso

Primoz Roglic was one of the big favourites to win today's stage of the Giro d'Italia in Tagliacozzo, and it almost felt like it was his responsibility after a fragile Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe controlled the breakaway all day long. The German team came out of the day without a win and with less of a lead over their biggest rival, but with the pink jersey back on Roglic's shoulders.

It was not the expected tactic, as the team had previously been vocal about not wanting to spend too much time with the pink jersey and with the responsibility of working. Despite Mads Pedersen still leading the race today, BORA voluntarily put their noses to the wind for several hours, controlling the front group which was then caught inside the final climb.

With shallow gradients at first, and then a constant steep section to the finish line at around 10%, it seemed like an ideal finale for Roglic. But when the time for decisions came, it was Juan Ayuso who made the difference.

"I was a bit too far and didn't really fight," the Slovenian joked in a post-race interview. "It was what it was. I wasn't in it for the win, but the result is good and I'm happy. I just wasn't there. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But I enjoyed it and you never know when it will be your last day in pink. I have to enjoy it too, because I won't be riding ten more Giros and I'm still in it for the prizes".

It's hard to read through Roglic's words, who obviously did not intend on losing 14 seconds to Ayuso on the first mountain stage - this is more than clear, as over this week he has sprinted to bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint. If it was to be a bluff, it would be a monumental and costly bluff, but the facts are that Roglic - despite being the race leader once again - was one of the defeated riders on the day, and now has not only Juan Ayuso but also his teammate Isaac del Toro less than 10 seconds behind him.

"I don't know how long I want to keep the jersey," he has said once again, with tomorrow's 8th stage being another golden opportunity for the first breakaway to succeed. "Other guys are coming close to me, so they might want the pink jersey too. We're doing our best with the team and I have to say they were really great. Some of them crashed hard, but they keep fighting".