For Primož Roglič, 13 is not a reason for superstition - today it is a reason for celebration. On the steep climb to Pico Villuercas, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader took his 13th stage win of the Vuelta and the red jersey of the overall leader.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe left no doubt about its ambitions throughout the day at the Vuelta's first mountaintop finish. The team controlled the breakaway for over 100 kilometres in temperatures approaching 40 degrees. It was a statement up to the final climb and it paid off. The steepest sections were in the last 5 kilometres of the stage and a small group of riders had already formed after just a few metres. Primož Roglič led the group from the front to the line, fending off all attacks. He also followed the final attack and won on the mountaintop in a photo finish.
After four stages, Primož Roglič leads the general classification by eight seconds. Aleks Vlasov is one minute behind in 10th place and Florian Lipowitz is 20th.
Primož Roglič
"Taking Red was not the main objective of today. But when you see the guys riding hard in this heat, I had no choice. They did a real good job, and I'm happy that I had the legs and that I was able to finish it off. It was a tough finish, it was steep. The goal will remain the same: we'll take it day by day. We'll see how I'll go, how my body will react."