The Vuelta a España, one of the most tumultuous in years, took another major turn on Sunday when Richard Calapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) pressured Slovenian Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma) up the Angliru to take the lead The race was won by.

After being ahead of Roglic in Formigal a week earlier, narrowly losing to Roglic in Montcalvillo on Wednesday, and losing the lead in a hotly debated commissaire decision on Friday, Calapaz again outpaced his rival two days later in the 2020 Vuelta.

Calapaz's recapture of La Roja was even more impressive considering that he was quickly isolated from his teammates in Angliru and did not look comfortable for two-thirds of the climbing distance.

However, Carapaz, who had been perilously close to the back of the lead group of less than 10 riders, began to slowly open up a gap after 2km, at one point gaining nearly 20 seconds.

Although in the time bonus zone in fourth place, 16 seconds behind stage winner Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling), Calapaz lost a bit of ground in the last kilometer, and the gap to Roglic, in fifth place on the stage, was reduced to 10 seconds. However, Saturday's stage was uneventful, and after tying Logrich on time, La Roja was his again on Sunday.

"It was very important to get the jersey back and it was a morale booster," Karapas said.

"It was really important to get the jersey back and it was a morale booster," Karapas said.

"It was a really tough stage. It reminded me a little bit of when I came here in 2017, especially on Saturday, when there was a lot of climbing and it made it hard for everyone. Racing further down the line wasn't a special strategy or an attempt to create a surprise.

"At the end it wasn't an explosive attack, it was a matter of natural selection," Karapas said. Enric Mas (Movistar) and Carty were the only competitors in the top five to mount major challenges as the riders suffered and fell behind thanks to the unforgiving and cruel ruggedness of the Angliru.

Karapas upped the pace a bit, and when he saw that Roglic was suffering as a result, he said, "Carty and Mas had already attacked. Karthy and Mas had already attacked. And finally they got the 10 seconds."

In terms of how to tackle the next challenge, Tuesday's time trial, Karapas' advantage over Roglic remains slight. On the plus side, however, he will start from the back of the pack and will be less than a minute ahead of rivals Kersee and Dan Martin (Israel Startup Nation).

Karapas, who worked on time trials in the off-season, said he is optimistic about his chances on Tuesday.

"The times are in our favor and we came here for a great Vuelta. Now we have to defend this lead."