Vuelta a Espana 2021 - Stage 11 win shows Primoz Roglic unfazed by previous day's crash setback

ByIbrahim Mustapha

Updated 25/08/2021 at 17:58 GMT

“I think we’re all making a big fuss about his crash but for him it was like, ‘it happens’.” Speaking on The breakaway, Nico Roche suggested the Vuelta favourite would have brushed aside his crash setback of the previous stage as he roared to victory on Stage 11 to take further control of the final Grand Tour of the year.

Primoz Roglic bounced back from a disappointing crash 24 hours earlier to take Stage 11 at the Vuelta - but the reigning champion wouldn’t have allowed his earlier setback to play on his mind.

The Jumbo-Visma rider put aside any doubts the uncharacteristic fall may have raised by storming to victory at Valdepeñas de Jaén finishing ahead of Movistar pair Enric Mas and Miguel Angel Lopez after chasing down Magnus Cort in the final kilometre.

• Stage 11 as it happened - Magnus Cort caught at the death as Primoz Roglic wins
• Roglic bounces back to claim Stage 11 in thrilling finish

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Speaking on The Breakaway for Eurosport, Nico Roche suggested that others would have been more concerned by the crash than Roglic himself.

“I think we’re all making a big fuss about his crash but for him it was like, ‘it happens’.” Said Roche.

“That’s the right approach, we’re over-talking about his crash and all today we’ve talked about it and yesterday and the reality is he put 35 seconds on most of his opponents."

Roglic surrendered the maillot rojo to Norway’s Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche) following his Stage 10 mishap but remains very on course for a second successive Vuelta crown.

'The heartbreaker' - Remarkable Roglic takes Stage 11 in breathtaking finish

The 31-year-old is now within 1 minute 56 seconds of Eiking, a gap he will expect to close in the coming days.

“I think today, more than proving yesterday was a mistake or whatever and he just wanted to win,” added Roche.

“It was his first road stage win and he’s nailed it.”

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