"You never know what your last victory will be, so I have to enjoy it" - Primoz Roglic in reflective mood after taking Red Jersey at 2024 Vuelta a Espana

There is something about the Vuelta a Espana that really seems to bring out the best in Primoz Roglic and this was the case yet again on stage 4 of the 2024 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour as the Slovenian landed the first blow in the GC fight and moved into the Red Jersey.

"For the team it is a nice confirmation, even more than for myself," reflects the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader in his post-stage interview, having rewarded his teammates work on the front of the peloton throughout the day with a narrow stage win ahead of Lennert van Eetvelt. "The stage win was not the main goal, but when you see how hard the men in front of me rode in the heat... I am very happy that I can finish it like this."

Having crashed out of the Tour de France earlier this summer, there were some question marks over the form of Roglic heading into this Vuelta. Those doubts have now been fully answered however. "I wasn't sure because of my back, but still: there was no other option than to go full throttle," he assesses. "It was a tough climb, very steep. I'm recovering from an injury and after a few hours I felt my back acting up, but hopefully it won't get worse. The goal remains the same: we'll take it day by day."

''You never know what your last victory will be, so I have to enjoy it," Roglic concludes reflectively. "Life doesn't always go the way you want, but there are still challenges. For now I'm very happy, also with how the team rode."

In the general classification, Roglic now holds an 8 second advantage over Joao Almeida. Far from a decisive advantage but the first mental blow of this Grand Tour has been landed by the Slovenian.