Kuss has crossed the line in seventh place to take the lead in the general classification from Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ). After his stage win two days ago, it was another reward for the hard work he has put in all year for leaders Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard.

"I knew there was a chance I could take the jersey depending on how the stage went", Kuss explained after being celebrated on the podium. "It wasn't until I crossed the line that I realized I had done it. I think it's an honor to wear the red jersey tomorrow. I will try and enjoy it because it's not something I will experience very often."

The 165-kilometer stage featured five categorized climbs. Thirty riders broke away from the peloton after a fast opening phase to take a six-minute lead. Led by Team Jumbo-Visma, the last escapees were caught at the foot of the Xorret de Catí.

Kuss was the first to make his move on this steep climb. The American opened up a small gap but was reeled in by the race leaders just before the summit. Roglic and Vingegaard followed the wheel of Remco Evenepoel, who kept the pace high on the climb and the descent.

In the tricky uphill final kilometer, Evenepoel started his sprint first, but it was Roglic who prevailed. "I'm thrilled with this. It's always a bit of a gamble in a sprint like this, but it worked out well for me today," Roglic explained. "It was a tough day. The team worked incredibly hard all day and did everything possible to overtake the lead group. There was no other option for me than to win."

Like Roglic, Kuss expressed his gratitude. "The team did a great job, especially Robert Gesink. He rode so hard that everyone suffered, and I even started to doubt if I myself had good legs for a moment," Kuss explained. "But all the other guys from our team deserve credit too. I'm sure they gave Primoz the motivation to win this stage."

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for news from La Vuelta a Espana 2023.

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