Today the only individual time trial of this Vuelta is scheduled. It’s a stage of 38.7 kilometres in and around Burgos. The course is a bit hilly, but the number of altitude metres is limited. The top of the general classification will fight hard for every second. At Lotto Soudal, two riders have a specific ambition: Bart De Clercq wants to consolidate his fourteenth place and for Jurgen Van den Broeck this is a perfect test ahead of the World Championships time trial later this month in Richmond.

“Of course I’m looking forward more to this time trial than to some other stages," Van den Broeck said. "I don’t often get the chance to ride in my national jersey and it’s of course a good training before the Worlds. A time trial in a Grand Tour is something different of course: you have already been racing for more than two weeks, so tiredness is a factor you have to take into account. My time trials earlier this year were good and I hope that will be confirmed today; that would definitely be a mental boost.

"It’s difficult to tell who the favourites are. Probably Dumoulin, but also someone like Kiryienka. I think the time trial will be very crucial for the overall victory. Rodríguez remains my favourite. In the past he has already ridden good time trials and I don’t think he will lose much time. The stages afterwards are less hard, but especially on Saturday there still can be important time gaps.”