Primož gives another typical Roglič interview after riding his way into contention for the overall win at the Vuelta a España

Primož Roglič and the Vuelta a España—it remains a unique pairing. The Slovenian has arrived in Spain half-beaten so many times before, trying to salvage his Grand Tour season, and this year, too, the pieces of the puzzle seem to be falling into place again. The veteran rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was once again a bit better in Stage 9 than he had been the day before, so there’s suddenly a glimmer of hope.

Roglič was consistently on the ball during Sunday’s ninth stage. On a long final climb, Decathlon CMA CGM initially set a fast pace for Felix Gall, and when he was dropped 7 kilometers from the summit, a classic game of cat-and-mouse ensued. With Tadej Pogačar not a dominant factor, the race turned tactical, with Enric Mas ultimately proving to be the smartest and strongest rider.

The Spaniard pulled away in his red jersey, and the strong Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) immediately sensed the danger. Roglic did too, but the Slovenian perhaps lingered a little too long with Gall and company, who had run out of steam. As a result, the gap widened and ultimately became too big for Roglic to close. He did finish third, however, and thus moved up to second in the general classification.

There was no in-depth analysis from Roglič after the finish. He would have preferred to head straight to the bus, but he simply couldn't avoid the many microphones pointed at him. “We can always hope, but I’m super happy, man. I didn’t do much, but it’s wonderful to ride here—out in the fresh air and in good weather.”

"The climbs were tough, and some riders went too fast, but I'm happy," said the Slovenian, who didn't want to go into too much detail about Pogačar's withdrawal on Saturday. As a result, he is now second in the general classification, 1.18 minutes behind Mas. “The Vuelta is undoubtedly wide open, but you never wish something like that on anyone. Above all, I wish him a speedy recovery.”