"Madrid is still far away" - Primoz Roglic ready to fight after loosing important time to Evenepoel and Mas

Primoz Roglic entered the Vuelta a Espana with impressive form taking into consideration his run-up to the race, however has today felt the pinch as the GC fight was detonated and he lost crucial time to some of his rivals.

Having allowed a breakaway to take several minutes yesterday, Jumbo prepared their race in the long-term as they've seen Rudy Molard jump into the race lead, hence clearing them of responsibilities to control the race. Today wasn't expected to be a decisive day in the race, however it has seen serious gaps, mainly as the bad weather exposed weaknesses, and has seen others thrive.

"I didn't have the legs to go with the best in that stage," Roglic said after the finish. Although he readily answered Remco Evenepoel's initial attack on the ascent to Pico Jano, he could not follow shortly after as the Belgian kept a sweltering pace. Roglic was then followed by several riders, having done a big portion of the work until the finish alongside several other GC contenders. I decided to give everything until the finish line. I did a lot of the work in the pursuit. Although we lost some time today, Madrid is still far away," he said.

Despite having little recognition as a Grand Tour specialist, the 1:22 minutes lost on Evenepoel will put the Slovenian under some pressure. Equally, that was time lost to Enric Mas who came second to Roglic last year at the race. He now sits in fourth place, 1:01 minutes behind the Belgian talent.

"Hopefully we can reclaim some time in the coming days. The competition is strong. We were aware of this going into this stage. I feel good and I am ready to fight. I am looking forward to the coming days," Roglic concluded.