Sepp Kuss isn't where he was a year ago on the Vuelta a España but then this isn't last year's Vuelta a España. This has been a strange kind of a race, where simply staying in the hunt through an unruly opening week often felt like half the battle.
There have been fluctuating fortunes for just about all the contenders for final victory, including Ben O'Connor, the man currently almost four minutes clear atop the overall standings. Several have fallen by the wayside altogether, too, including João Almeida, who withdrew with COVID-19, and Antonio Tiberi, forced out by heat stroke.
