O'Connor keeps Roglic in check and leads in Vuelta a España after week one: "Showed my strength"

Ben O'Connor heads into the first day of rest at the Vuelta a España as the red jersey holder. The Australian of Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale skillfully held his position in the grueling ninth stage, even though he lost time on stage winners Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirate) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).

O'Connor saw Yates perform a masterpiece around the Sierra Nevada. 'I'm very pleased he won today,' O'Connor told the flash interview. "He spends a lot of time here, so that's very nice and suiting for him. We let him get away today; he wasn't someone who was immediately on our radar." Although it looked like Yates would gain more time back at first, after Sunday, he is seventh at 5.30 minutes from the GC leader.

Not only did Yates regain time, but Carapaz also did excellent business. "Carapaz surprised me; he held on so long." The Ecuadorian is now in the top three, 4.32 behind O'Connor. "Obviously, it was so hot; we were all feeling it at the foot of the last climb," the Australian continued. "I'm super happy with how we did. We stayed very calm; we led from the front row when needed. Felix (Gall, ed.) was great on the last climb. We showed that we are here to fight."

O'Connor grabs bonification seconds: "Every second counts"

Although Enric Mas broke away on the final climb, O'Connor and the other favorites managed to overtake him again. As a result, the red jersey holder managed to snatch the last bonification seconds from his competitors. "Every second counts," O'Connor laughed. "I didn't lose any time. Maybe on some guys, but I showed what I can do." Primoz Roglic, after his stage win on Saturday, failed to make a mark: the Slovenian struggled and could not create gaps against his rivals.