Primoz Roglic, who has worn the overall leader’s red jersey in the Vuelta since the 10th stage, saw Nairo Quintana reduce his lead to 2 minutes 24 seconds after stage 17 was blown apart by crosswinds.
Jumbo-Visma played it cool. They walked the tightrope, trying to put pressure on rivals Astana and UAE-Emirates to have to do some work and control the situation.
“The team saved me with a big effort,” Roglic said. “I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have been where I was, I should have been at the front. They just went full gas from the very beginning and that was it for the rest of the day.”
“In the end, we couldn’t anymore so other teams had to work also. We’re still in a really good position. It was a hard day for everyone. We lost a battle today, but not the war. I never felt like the Vuelta was lost. Other guys wanted to finish as fast as possible so it was full gas until the finish line.”
“We will see if I have saved the Vuelta in Madrid. It’s looking really good for us. This Vuelta is really unpredictable, and for sure we can expect a big fight in the days to come.”
