Third time’s the charm in this Vuelta, if Vingegaard has his way: "I’m not going to complain about that"

In the first week of the Vuelta, Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike indicated in every possible way that they did not want the red jersey. Too much hassle, too many interviews, too much pressure, too much energy... But when UAE Team Emirates-XRG accelerated on the final climb in stage 10 and Træen fell behind, Vingegaard could not avoid a third moment of being the leader in this Vuelta. And for a change, he was actually quite content with that.

“I'm super happy to be back in the red jersey, that's great,” Vingegaard smiled from ear to ear after the race. The two-time Tour winner was presented with the jersey by a big name in Spanish cycling. "Standing on the podium with a great champion and legend like Miguel Indurain was a very nice experience. I have nothing but good things to say about him.'

When asked whether Vingegaard actually wanted the red leader's jersey back, he smiled again. “I'm always happy with a leader's jersey, I'm not going to complain about that. It's one of the most beautiful jerseys in cycling, so of course I'm happy with it.” Then, after a generous first week, the Vuelta leader had a new point of view. “Hopefully, I can keep it until Madrid.”

Should the breakaway riders not expect any more gifts? The GC seems to be pretty much decided after ten stages, and on day 11, there is a very tough and punchy ride around Bilbao on the program. According to Vingegaard, the fact that he left the attacks on day 10 to UAE and seemed to be watching was not a message. “No, I was looking back more to check on the group and see what damage João (Almeida, ed.) had done. He was very strong today, and luckily, I was able to follow him. I'm happy with the red jersey and hope to keep it."