Lemco Evenpoel exhaled when the question was posed to him. 'Uh-huh, that's very, very hard to say,' he said on the summit of Les Preurs, where the Vuelta a España has tightened its grip even further."

"Do you think I'm the strongest rider in the Vuelta at the moment? The proof was in the last 3.5km of stage 9, when Evenpoel easily rode through the 24%-sloped Les Pleyres to solidify his overall lead advantage.

But Evenpoel's answer was suggestive: the 22-year-old Quick-Step Alphavinir rider seems to measure himself not only against the best climbers in this Vuelta, but also against the best climbers in the entire peloton. [It's] Jonas [Vingegaard] and Tadei [Pogachar]. But I'm very happy with the way I climb. 'I've worked really, really, really hard to get to this level, to get the climbing legs, to get the perfect weight. So far, it's perfect. But I'm not going to say I'm the best climber or rider ever, because I'm not.

There is no doubt about Evenpoel's ambition. For example, back in his neo-professional days, he sat down with reporters in a conference room in Quebec and casually laid out a checklist of career goals. "Three Grand Tours...... World Championships: ...... Olympics."

At the start of this Vuelta, Evenpoel's public goals were more modest, but as the week wore on, his stated goal of a stage win was upgraded to a final overall win in Madrid. His performance left him no choice. The Belgian confessed as much in the mixed zone atop Les Prelaces.

"I can now express that ambition. But like I said from the beginning, I have to follow what the legs say."

The legs and the road gave an irresistible verdict in the summit finish of the second consecutive Vuelta in Asturias on Sunday. Despite losing Pieter Serry to COVID-19 before the start, Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl's Evenepoel team kept an eye on the peloton all day, waiting for the onslaught of the Mayo Rojo.

Like Kolau Funkuaya the day before, Enric Mas (Movistar) and Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma) were parked on the wheels of the Evenpoel and braced for impact. This time, however, neither of them was able to absorb the blunt force.

Time seemed to slow down as the gradient climbed to 23%, but there seemed to be no stopping Evenpoel's momentum in this race. His pedaling seemed to flow on even the hardest inclines. He seemed to float along as the men scattered on the hillside behind him struggled.

At the summit, he had another 50 seconds on Mas and Roglic. As the Vuelta entered its second rest day, Evenepoel was 1:12 behind Mas and 1:53 behind Roglic in the overall standings. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) is already more than 3 minutes behind and Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) is more than 5 minutes behind.

Tuesday's time trial to Alicante will give Evenpoel a chance to further widen the gap. The biggest threat to his supremacy is no longer his rivals, but simply his own inexperience. His only Grand Tour appearance was last year's Giro d'Italia, where he abandoned in the final week.

"It's going to be really warm next week, so the heat [might affect him]. The further south you go, the hotter it will be," Evenpoel was asked about the biggest threat he faces.

"But let's not sound negative. This week has been perfect and I've been wearing the red jersey for four days. We have to be happy with what we have. It is always difficult to predict the future. So let's enjoy what we have now: this red jersey, my performance, and teamwork."

The Quick Step team, led by Evenepoel, has so far carried the weight of the red jersey lightly, although Celie's move to COVID-19 is a concern. Sadly, the contingency in this Vuelta is not limited to a combination of weather and tactics.

"I think everyone in the world, not just in the group, is still a little worried about the Covid situation," Evenpoel said. 'Yesterday he was negative for pieter, but today he was positive. Let's hope it keeps up and the whole population stays healthy."

Be that as it may, the Vuelta for Evenpoel could not have gone more smoothly so far. Since the route was announced, his strategy seemed to revolve around the stage 10 time trial to Alicante. On Sunday, he became the youngest rider to lead the Vuelta for three days since Miguel Indurain in 1985. On Tuesday, he will be able to emulate the mature Indurain by outperforming his rivals in the race for truth.

"I think the course will be easier next week, but I'm starting to feel tired after the second week. This weekend, along with the time trial, was a really important three days for the Vuelta. I am really looking forward to the time trial. But first I want to enjoy the rest day. I'm really looking forward to a nice ice cream tonight."