Are there still any doubts, Mr. Roglic? "Hopefully, the pain in my back doesn't get worse"

"For the team, it's a great confirmation, even more than for myself," said the leader of the German squad, who held off Belgium’s Lennert Van Eetvelt in the final meters. "Winning the stage wasn't the main goal, but when you see how hard the guys rode for me in the heat... I'm really happy I could finish it off this way."

"I wasn't sure because of my back, but still, there was no option other than going all out," Roglic continued in his post-race comments after conquering the Pico Villuercas. "It was a tough climb, very steep. I'm recovering from an injury, and after a few hours, I could feel my back acting up, but hopefully, it doesn't get worse. The goal remains the same: we take it day by day," Roglic said, keeping his cards close to his chest.

Roglic was visibly pleased with his win, as seen in the flash interview. "You never know when your last victory will be, so I have to enjoy it. Life doesn't always go the way you want, but there are always challenges. For now, I'm very happy, especially with how the team rode," said the satisfied Slovenian.

In addition to his stage win, Roglic is now also the leader in the general classification, holding an eight-second lead over Joao Almeida of UAE-Team Emirates. Competitors like Adam Yates and Richard Carapaz lost significant time, which only adds to Roglic’s advantage.