Gaudu takes over Vuelta lead from Vingegaard: "A sprint like that can be really dangerous"

“It wasn't an easy day,” Vingegaard assured TV2 after the stage to Voiron, which Ben Turner won. “The start was pretty tough, and at the end it was really hot. So not super easy, but not really difficult either.”

The Dane is not bothered that he will be boarding the plane to Spain without the red jersey. “It's fine. The most important thing was that we got through it well and that I didn't lose any time. I'm still on the same time as Gaudu and have a lead over everyone else.”

Gaudu had already been dreaming a little about the scenario that unfolded, he said afterwards. “I definitely thought about it this morning, but I didn't really know if I would fight for positions in the bunch sprint. It can be really dangerous. But I decided to do it anyway, rode as hard as I could to the finish, and we made it.”

“At the intermediate sprint, I followed the other riders, but I couldn't get the bonus seconds. Then I spoke on the radio and said, 'We can do it at the finish.' The team did a fantastic job, and this jersey is for them,” said Gaudu.

The Frenchman now has to defend his jersey in the team time trial on day five. “We have a strong team for the time trial. It would have been the same if we hadn't had the jersey: we'll just keep going and set our best time trial. And we'll see after the finish if we get a good result,” said Gaudu, who has Stefan Küng and Rémi Cavagna, among others, at his side.