While Tadej Pogačar dominating the first high mountain stage of this year's Vuelta a España was almost a certainty, what was far from guaranteed was how four-time race winner and Slovenian compatriot Primož Roglič was going to perform, having been hit by a driver in training just three weeks before the first stage.
But after 104km of brutal up-and-down racing on stage 4, featuring three first-category climbs in Andorra, Roglič dispelled much of the doubts surrounding his shape, finishing well down on Pogačar, yes, but proving he is more than ready for the podium battle.
A doubt to even make the start, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe tempered their expectations for Roglič before the start, with GC ambitions not supposed to be his focus. However, after the first major shake-up of the overall standings, he finds himself in second, 3:21 down on Pogačar and among the 10 riders who look set to battle out second and third.
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"I repeat myself, a couple of weeks ago I couldn't ride the bike. I'm happy, no? I'm there and just happy," said Roglič with a smile at the finish, having been knocked off his bike by a driver in training on July 31.
"I always say I'm here for the wins. That was today my win, so hopefully I can also get some results, but at the moment, I'm happy."
His most impressive moment came on the Coll d'Ordino after Oscar Onley and Felix Gall attacked away from the remaining GC group, when the former winner scorched across the gap in no time and looked somewhat like the Roglič of old.
In the end, several regroupings and attacks in the first chase group behind Pogačar would see them battle for second place in a sprint, with young Belgian Jarno Widar taking second and Roglič coming home in seventh, but he was never really off the pace of his rivals.
"To be honest, there was never a sign that he was struggling or that he had a hard moment. After every climb, we were, 'Another one done, another one done with good signs'," said Red Bull sports director Sven Vanthourenhout.
"Also, the moment when he bridged over to Gall and Onley was quite impressive, quite strong. So yeah, we were actually never in trouble today.
"Of course, it will give him a boost because before today, we didn’t know where he was before the Vuelta, and also he didn’t know. And like I already said, we stay careful, we stay careful.
"All the signs today were good. We are in a really good situation and a situation that we didn’t expect, to be honest, after the stage. We knew this was the first stage where everyone put all the cards on the table, and we are happy like it is now."
Passing the first of many mountain tests of this Vuelta, which packs a brutal 58,000m of elevation gain into its three weeks of racing, Vanthourenhout knows well that Roglič is far from completing what would be a miraculous comeback to form.
He gives credit to the post-crash bounceback to Roglič's experience, as a rider who has long suffered setbacks before, during and after many of his major Grand Tour goals over the years.
"I think the only positive thing was actually that it happened with a rider that has a lot of experience," said the Belgian.
"In his previous years he also had to handle crashes and bad moments and so on, so for sure that helped him towards this Vuelta to not get in panic or so on, so that helped him. But of course, yeah, he preferred to have another preparation towards this Vuelta."
All told at the end of stage 4, would Vanthourenhout have signed for such a result, Roglič on pace with those chasing the podium and sitting second overall?
"Yes, I can confirm that," he said. "That’s also what we said in the car when we entered the last descent, actually, that we always should sign for this situation."
"We are only four days now in the Vuelta, but we know where he comes from, so we are careful with that. But of course it seems he’s one of these athletes, one of these riders that recover faster than someone else. So no, we are really happy with the situation like it is now today."
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