‘The hardest is still to come’ – Primož Roglič getting closer to prize despite late scare at Vuelta a España

In the end, it was a useful reminder and nothing more. The Vuelta a España is never as straightforward as it seems, even for Primož Roglič. The Slovenian has won this race three times, but each of those victories had its fraught moments. A day after placing a hefty deposit on the red jersey on the Puerto de Ancares, Roglič endured another late scare on stage 14 to Villablino.

The peloton had just crested the Puerto de Leitariegos and crossed from Asturias back into Léon when Roglič realised something was awry with his bike. He braked to a halt together with teammate Daniel Martínez, who swiftly handed over his machine and pushed his leader on his way once again.