Jumbo's strange display at Angliru: Roglic wins and Kuss saves the lead

Not even Angliru is capable of bringing order to the strange tyranny of Jumbo Visma, that game never seen before, that dominance so overwhelming that it destroys any type of competitiveness.. At the terrible summit called to decide the Vuelta everything remained the same, the first three in yellow and black, an almost random order that not even forces taken to the extreme can break. Primoz Roglic, who is still the third in contention, put his name in the mythical arrival. At his wheel, among the fog, Jonas Vingegaard, and a little further away, but not that far (19 seconds), a Sepp Kuss who remains in red. At his wheel, the first of the mortals, Mikel Landa. [Narration and ratings]

There were no attacks or sprints. The Angliru was tainted by a control that nullifies everything. Jumbo is not going to leave even crumbs in this unusual Vuelta. They don't even shoot at each other, as if their egos didn't matter.. It's all smiles at the finish line, a supposedly good atmosphere. Although, with four stages left for Madrid – two of them very tough – it is not known if there is freedom or order. It was Roglic, who observes how a Vuelta that in theory was written for him escapes him, who took the relief of a mythical triumph, his name next to that of Chava Jiménez, Heras or Contador, on the ninth climb to the Angliru. The one who with his pace in the last four kilometers, crossing the Dantesque landscapes of the Asturian colossus, the Cuña les Cabres and his percentages above 23%, left the leader off the hook.

And yet, Kuss remains at the head of the classification for eight seconds. And Vingegaard, waiting all day this time, perhaps did not dare to attack Roglic. And yet, he is closer to winning this Vuelta without trying too hard.. “They will know,” Landa responded in surprise when he caught Kuss and he refused to give him a relief.

It had been the brave Bahrain who assumed all the responsibility, who did the dirty work for the Jumbo. But not even Wout Poels' excellent effort on those ramps, which he did so well, served much purpose.. Cancel Enric Mas and Juan Ayuso very soon, the podium is already a pipe dream, and leave everything in the hands of the Jumbo trio.

Much earlier it had been Remco Evenepoel who set out for the feat through the Colladiella and the Cordal. The day before in Bejes he entered the finish line second from last, as if he wanted to show the Jumbos that under no circumstances would he dare to rejoin the fight for the general classification. For the Belgian, after the strange fainting on the way to Tourmalet, all that remains is the epic. Which is not little. Putting your name in the Angliru are huge words.