Illness creeps into red jersey holder Træen’s team: "Back to face masks and solo dinners"

After Sunday's stage, Traeen said he was really looking forward to the hamburger he was going to eat that evening. “The burger was good, almost as good as the omelet our cook makes,” he laughed.

What can we expect from the climber in the coming days? “The goal is, of course, to keep the leader's jersey for another day, but whether that will actually happen remains to be seen. Hopefully, my legs will be better than they were on Sunday. If it doesn't work out, that's just the way it is. Then I'll set my sights on a good final classification: finishing in the top ten would be nice.”

Being in the lead in a Grand Tour is a whole new experience for Traeen, he explains. “I have 37 seconds left. When you're in the lead, you have more control over things. We're lucky to have an experienced rider like Jack Haig on the team: he's been on the final podium himself, worked with many other good riders, and so knows exactly what to do.”

“He's only at 70 percent of his capacity, but he's still very valuable. We also have four debutants with us, and it's a great experience for them too. With Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi, I also have two world-class riders at my side, for which I am very grateful,” said the Bahrain Victorious rider.

Haig himself explained what was wrong with him on Instagram. “Back to face masks and solo dinners 😷😵,” he wrote on social media. “Since stage 7, I've been struggling with an illness that's lasting longer than I'd like. I've been trying to stay positive and support Torstein. I don't know what the next few days will bring, but I'm hoping for better health,” said the Aussie.

Tiberi, who started the race with podium ambitions, explained his poor form to BiciPro. The Italian explained that he had not been feeling well for several days during his altitude training for the Vuelta. “I had a little nausea, a slight fever, and fatigue. Still, I stayed at high altitude, and maybe I shouldn't have done that because recovery at altitude is less easy. That could also have played a role.”

“Even on the rest day, during a bike ride, I didn't feel quite myself. I had the feeling that my body was asking me to slow down a bit,” explains the Italian. “I no longer have to think about the GC and everything that goes with it. The daily stress of recovering as much as possible and paying attention to everything in the race is gone. In that respect, I can have more peace of mind.”

“Maybe it can help me regain some energy between now and the final week, which is still a while away. The goal is to feel good again and get good results so that I can afford to break away and win a stage,” he explains.