Primoš Roglic's (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) relentless campaign to reclaim the red jersey in the Vuelta a España was stepped up a few notches in Cazorla.

Roglic had already issued a warning when he put his team to work on Friday's relatively easy climb of the Alto del 14%, earning a bonus second late in the stage. However, the collective pressure on O'Connor was not as effective as the furious attack that the Red Bull-Bohra-Hansgrohe rider made on the erratic climb in Cazorla.

Three-time Vuelta champion Enric Mas (Movistar) caught up with Roglic's rear wheel as Roglic finally went clear at the finish. But the Slovenian's dynamic move hurt all of his other GC rivals, including O'Connor.

“It was pretty painful and hard today. But I had a chance at the end and I went for it,” Roglic told reporters after the finish. [I had the legs, I was lucky. It was a good stage today. But tomorrow [Sunday] I might be 10 minutes slower.

Spanish TV commentators strongly backed Mas at the finish, unlike stage 4, where Roglic had a bit of luck, as Renate van Eotveld (Lotto-Dostny) raised her arms too early. But it was not like stage 4, where Roglic had a bit of luck, as Lennart Van Eotveldt (Lotto-Dostny) got his arm up too quickly. Mas easily won the stage, and Roglic's 14th Vuelta victory was decided.

Thanks to the time bonus and a standout ride on the climbs, O'Connor was nearly a minute ahead of Roglic. O'Connor still leads by nearly 4 minutes, but on Sunday's tough, long climb, O'Connor is theoretically more in his element. Either way, for now, Roglic is once again riding in the Vuelta.

Roglic said the pain from his back injury is still bothering him, but for now he has the best GC finish in the opening TT and won two of the three summit finishes in the first week. But he recognized that his victory in Cazorla gave him “a lot of ambition” heading into Sunday.

“I want to do everything I can and give it my all every day. But I have to see how I can handle all of this (racing) physically and how it will affect my body, which has had a hard time with injuries."

‘I'm not sure I'm ready for this,’ he said.

“I'm still sore, but I enjoyed today.

Heat played its part again in today's race, and when asked how he was coping, Roglic responded with one of his classic no-nonsense answers.

“I'm not cold either.

“I try not to drink as much, but I have to accept it. Besides, for me, hot is always better than cold.”

Temperatures on Sunday are expected to rise to at least 37°C in Granada, and possibly even higher in the mountains. But at least judging from Saturday's performance, it will take more than a heat wave to stop Roglic from rampaging again.

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