Grand Tour debutant Jarno Widar headed into this Vuelta a España as one of the standout young riders to watch, and the Belgian is already impressing just four days in.
The 20-year-old from Hasselt only turned pro with Lotto-Intermarché this year after setting the under-23 ranks alight alongside Paul Seixas in recent years. Despite a spring knee injury, he racked up a host of impressive results, including fourth places on Malhão at the Volta ao Algarve, in Villars-sur-Olon at the Tour de Suisse, and on Pineda de la Sierra at the recent Vuelta a Burgos.
He took it a step further during Tuesday's fourth stage at La Vuelta, however, racing among the chase group behind solo winner Tadej Pogačar and sprinting to second place in Andorra la Vella. Widar, who is leading Lotto in Spain, admitted he was surprised by his ride.
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"No, it’s not normal. I’m actually a bit surprised today, and I’m incredibly proud of it," he told Het Laatste Nieuws after the finish.
"I'm very proud of myself. And I'm also very honoured to be racing among these guys, because it's a childhood dream."
Widar was by far the youngest man in the elite group of eight riders – he's three years younger than white jersey holder Oscar Onley – which came together behind Pogačar on the short but sharp stage, which packed almost 3,000 metres of climbing into just 105km.
He found himself distanced, along with the likes of Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, and Mattias Skjelmose, on the day's penultimate climb of the Coll d'Ordino, but the group made their way back before the final ascent.
On the way up, while Carapaz and Skjelmose dropped away, Widar comfortably stayed in touch at the front before eventually outsprinting Felix Gall and Onley to take second place on his first-ever Grand Tour mountain stage.
"I felt pretty good. It was actually a bit of a struggle to find my rhythm. Because when the acceleration happened, as I expected, there were a few to follow, but I managed to get into my own tempo and come back," he said.
"On the Ordino, I had a really hard time. I struggled a lot to find my rhythm. But we made it back on the descent. Then I knew, 'OK, those last two climbs suit me better than the long ones.' So I already had confidence that I would get over them with the group. And then I knew I had to come from behind with speed, because it's a sweeping curve. And I pulled it off."
Widar is one of the highest-rated talents to emerge from the under-23 ranks in recent seasons. At just 18, he won the Giro d'Italia Next Gen, Alpes Isère Tour, and Giro della Valle d'Aosta. If that wasn't enough, last year saw him triumph at the Ronde de l'Isard and Valle d'Aosta before taking second behind Seixas at the Tour de l'Avenir.
It's no surprise that his rise to the professional ranks this season was accompanied by considerable hype among his home Flemish media. He has yet to race more than eight days in a row, so any expectations at this Vuelta should be tempered, but there's no doubt about it – this is a very impressive start.
"For now, stay calm and see what the rest of the Vuelta brings," Widar said.
"As I said before about the Vuelta, 'Take it one day at a time.' And if I feel good, then I hope to achieve a result like that again, but yes, first of all, take it one day at a time.
"Pogačar is the strongest in the world, the best ever, I think, so yes, it’s only natural that he wins. So I’m very happy to have finished second."
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