Reflection day at La Vuelta 2024, why did no one expect something like this?

The 2024 Vuelta a España arrives at its first rest day in a first week that has had everything, from truly soporific days to a spectacle like few times we can enjoy, leaving us with a completely crazy race in which indefiniteness is the predominant factor. Without a doubt, a dream scenario for the organizers facing the most disputed grand tour of this season.

The 2024 Vuelta presents itself more open than ever. Nobody knows who can win

Before the start of the 2024 Vuelta, we reviewed the line-ups and we would be lying if we said that in our minds, and surely in the minds of most of those who follow this sport, there was no other scenario in which Primoz Roglic did not impose his quality relatively comfortably, a bit like what his compatriot Tadej Pogacar did in the Giro and Tour.

And it is that the absences in the 2024 Vuelta of Jonas Vingegaard, exhausted after a tremendously demanding Tour; of Tadej Pogacar, who they tried to tempt to achieve the feat of winning the three Grand Tours in the same year; or of Remco Evenepoel, focused on the World Championships after achieving Olympic glory. In fact, the organization even begged UAE Team Emirates to call up Juan Ayuso when it began to transpire that he would not be part of the race.

Few believed that any of the other top-level participants could challenge Primoz Roglic, and yet we reach the first rest day with a tremendously open panorama and the Slovenian giving a mixed performance, which does not allow us to guarantee how his form will evolve throughout the 2024 Vuelta. Let's not forget that Primoz Roglic himself was practically in doubt until the week before the start of the competition due to the serious fall that led to his abandonment in the Tour de France and that caused him a fracture of a vertebra, an area that he already has particularly affected from the falls that plagued him in the French race two seasons ago.

The Vuelta started for Primoz Roglic with an excellent time trial that positioned him as the best of the favorites for the general classification, a position that led him, three days later, to take the red leader's jersey by winning, true to his style, at the top of Pico Villuercas after he selected the race and arrived in the last meters in a reduced group on which he made his speed count in the final meters of the climb.

However, no one expected what we would see a couple of days later on the tough terrain of the Sierra de Ronda, where a situation like last year's on the way to Javalambre occurred again, this time starring the Australian from Decathlon-AG2R, Ben O'Connor, who had lost time in Villuercas and, with a tremendous ride, positioned himself as the leader of the general classification in a remarkable way.

We would still see more spectacle in the last two stages, first in the medium mountain of the Sierra de Cazorla where Primoz Roglic won his second stage and cut a minute from the 5-minute disadvantage to O'Connor, leaving many doubts about whether the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale rider would be able to resist beyond the first of the queen stages in Sierra Nevada.

And, on another memorable day, a new unexpected guest emerged as a contender for the general classification. None other than Adam Yates, who sought to recompose the options of UAE Team Emirates after the abandonment of their leader Joao Almeida after testing positive for Covid. Not only did the British rider join the contenders for the general classification, but Primoz Roglic showed his weakness and Ben O'Connor managed to resist without too many problems and even allowed himself the luxury of scraping a few bonus seconds at the finish line in Granada.

Aside from those mentioned, we cannot forget other cyclists who continue to resist at the top of the general classification, such as Enric Mas, who tried to take advantage of the weakness shown by Primoz Roglic in yesterday's stage; a Richard Carapaz with nothing to lose and a lot of energy in his legs; or, let's not forget, a Mikel Landa, always supported by the fervor of the Landistas, who, with a lot of determination, remains in the top 5 and who, surely, will also have his chance.

Undoubtedly, no one expected so many possible candidates for the final victory, although Primoz Roglic, if only for the 3 Vueltas a España that endorse his palmares, remains the top favorite for the final victory. The fact is that the scenario that is presented, with so many alternatives and without a Roglic in his best form, leaves the panorama very open and uncertain. This is precisely one of the main reasons why the 2024 Vuelta is as it is and has become a real game of bluff among the contenders, where each one tries to hide their move and make the most of their cards.

The other reason why we have this situation may be found in the tremendous heat that the cyclists have suffered in southern Spain, which has been harshly criticized from various sectors, especially after learning about the cases of several riders affected by heat stroke. High temperatures that caused us to experience several stages absolutely unworthy of a top-level competition with a total lack of competitiveness, significant delays, and sprint finishes that, at least, served to enjoy the resurrection of Wout van Aert after the disastrous season he had been experiencing, just in time to arrive in top form for the Zurich World Championships.

In any case, we will not have to wait long to find out which way the classification is leaning, as the second week is absolutely terrifying, starting with a new trap in Galician lands and with two great mountain stages such as Ancares and the first of the two Asturian stages with a finish in Cuitu Negro, not to mention another mountain finish at the Manzaneda station. We will see what awaits us.