Sepp Kuss celebrated his 29th birthday by staying for another day in the Vuelta a España lead on the Angliru even as a joint attack by teammates Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard saw the American's advantage reduced to just eight seconds over the Dane.
With the three strongest riders in the Vuelta all in their team, Jumbo-Visma's oft-repeated official policy is that each of their three leaders - Kuss, Roglič and Vingegaard - has the liberty to go for their own chances in the Vuelta a España. Kuss has said on previous occasions that he does not want to be gifted the overall victory by his teammates.
When the American was dropped 2.8 kilometres from the mist-enshrouded finish of the Angliru by his two co-leaders it almost felt as if his time as leader was over and Kuss said afterwards that he thought he had lost the top spot on GC. As it was, Kuss limited the gaps by just enough to remain in la roja for another day.
Given Vingegaard's clear statement after the finish that he hopes Kuss remains in the overall lead, perhaps the most critical question the American faced after the Angliru was if Vingegaard's comments now meant no more attacks by his teammates in the final two mountainous stages of the Vuelta.
"We'll have to see," Kuss answered. "Tomorrow [Thursday] is a stage we have to respect and a lot of things can happen. Today was a really decisive day and the gaps are like they are. For me the situation is clear but we still have to speak amongst ourselves.
"They are two big champions. I want my shot, but I'm happy to work for them when it's called for. It's been a beautiful experience."
Complicated team politics notwithstanding, Kuss' position as Vuelta leader is one with which he is clearly delighted. As he put it after the Angliru, "It's one I never expected to be in, and that's the beautiful thing about it.
"I came into this race with no expectations, I was just looking to help out the guys, like always, but then I came into this beautiful jersey and all the experiences that come with it.
"I've discovered a new level of self-confidence and racing instinct and that was incredible. With the two guys, [Vingegaard and Roglič] I think behind the scenes we work really well together."
Although one brutally difficult mountain stage remains, Kuss is still in control of the overall after climbs as tough as the Tourmalet and Angliru, and his renewed confidence, despite the time loss, was notable at the summit of the Asturian ascent.
"One day closer;" Kuss pointed out. "Halfway up the climb, Jonas told me, Sepp, you're going to win and I said - we'll see."
"Roglič felt super good, and just rode amazing. I tried to stay with him as long as I could, and then just limit the damage in the end."
Kuss crossed the line on the Angliru just ahead of Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) and given the Basque's strong ride, not to mention the jaw-droppingly powerful performance by his squad, the American recognised that he would have liked to gift Landa the third place on the climb, but with the time bonus still at stake and his lead hanging by such a tiny margin, Kuss explained that gesture was something he simply could not afford to do.
"When I crossed the finish line, I thought I had lost the jersey. I did the best I could on the climb so when I heard I still had the jersey, I was a bit surprised;" Kuss said.
"I've had strange feelings today, but not in a bad way. It's been another day with my two strong teammates, my friends as well. I think we had a nice time, as good a time as you can racing up the Angliru. It was a crazy day."
Looking ahead, the crunch question though, is if Kuss thinks he can still win the Vuelta, to which Kuss' resolutely upbeat answer was "Yes, yes if I can do the same again tomorrow [Thursday]. I'm still feeling very good."
Kuss' attitude is clear, then. But how Jumbo-Visma will race going forward from here, though, despite - or perhaps because of - their overwhelming strength, could be harder to predict.
