Few have ever beaten Primoš Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a summit finish at the Vuelta a España.

But the young 23-year-old Belgian racer raised his right arm just a little too early as he tried to pass under Gantry in a small group sprint by the GC contenders, and was passed by the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader at the last minute.

Van Yetveld was understandably upset after missing his chance for his first Grand Tour stage win in front of experienced elite rivals such as Roglic, Joan Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), and Enric Mas (Movistar). When he crossed the finish line almost a lap behind the stage winner, it was no surprise that he let out a yelp of disappointment.

But while he later described his excessive obsession with winning as “a little bit stupid,” Van Yetveld knew that just being in such a prestigious group was a major step forward in his career.

“When I did that arm move, did I think I had won? That's something you learn as a rookie, you have to sprint before the line, not before the line.” But I didn't feel that Roglic was going to come up, so I more or less thought the win was mine.”

“What did I feel? he replied to a reporter's question.

He added: “It was kind of a stupid thing to do.

Indeed, Van Eotveld's ability to stick with Roglic all the way to the summit was impossible not to be impressed by, as he was the only one, along with Mas, to have done so, a sign of his potential to win right away. Others, including Almeida, Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Mikel Landa (T-Rex Quick-Step), regained contact with the top three riders after a steep section of the climb.

“I'm more than satisfied with how I felt today and how the race went. If I had lost in a different way it would have been a really good result, and I think in a couple of days I'll be happy with this result as well.”

Van Eotveld also narrowly missed out on the leader's jersey in the Best Young Rider award. However, he did win the UAE Tour, the first World Tour stage race of the season, largely due to his victory on the country's toughest climb, the Jebel Hafeet.

His third-place finish in the recent San Sebastian Classica is further evidence that Van Yetveld is in good form, despite being plagued by a knee injury. Given that the Vuelta is often a race that serves as fertile ground for new young talent to shine, the Belgian has already formed part of that tradition since Viljekas.

“I came here for the GC and this is a good opportunity to check my condition and give me the confidence to do well in the Vuelta.

“Of course, I'm feeling grumpy right now. Of course, I'm feeling grumpy right now. But there are still plenty of days left, and you can see that in the rankings. All I can say is that I'm happy.”

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