Steven Kruijswijk has entered the top ten of the general classification of the Vuelta a España. He did so in the eighteenth stage which was characterised by a tough finish. Team LottoNL-Jumbo's 30-year-old rider now occupies the tenth position. In the race to Santo Toribio de Liébana, especially the last few kilometres were tough. 

“I’m glad to be in the mix again”, Kruijswijk said afterwards. "It was a difficult day, even though there was a breakaway with a lead of almost fifteen minutes. The favourites are always at war with each other. I could move along with them all day. I’m now showing the audience and fans the Kruijswijk they like to see. Though it's a pity that it's only coming out now and not earlier."

Kruijswijk's teammate Antwan Tolhoek surprised both himself and the audience this Vuelta. The 23-year-old Dutchmen was in a large breakaway and remained in front for a long time. "It took a lot of energy to get away. The peloton didn't let us go. When we could finally race, everyone was tired. That broke me in the end."

The fight in the breakaway was mainly during the descent today, Tolhoek said. “Uphill we didn’t go that fast, but descending we tried to get rid of each other. It went well today, like the whole Vuelta actually. Currently ahead of expectation", an excited Tolhoek said.