Damiano Cunego showed that he is getting into form for the world championships when he animated today's stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The Italian is pleased with his good legs and hopes to achieve an important result in the upcoming mountain stages.

Damiano Cunego went into the Vuelta a Espana hoping to earn selection for the World Championships. He already finished third in stage 9 and today he was again in the mix when he was one of the 5 longest surviving members of the early break.

Even though he ultimately left the race empty-handed, Cunego was pleased with his form.

"Today our plan was to join the early breakaway and I was able to accomplish the mission," he said. "It was a pity that the stage developed in a negative way for us. That's racing and there is nothing we can do about it.

"My condition was good and the legs felt goo. When the first selection was made in the break, I felt brilliant and I stayed in contact with 4 other riders. I hope to achieve a good result with the good condition I have at the moment so I will try to attack again in the next stages."

His teammate Winner Anacona lost a bit of ground in the finale as he finished in the second group, conceding 15 seconds to most of his GC rivals.

“The legs didn’t respond well," he said. "Tomorrow, it’ll be a mountain stage again. Firstly I have to recover the best I can. It was a very explosive finish today. Orica set a high pace in the hills. That’s what damaged my legs.”