In the thirteenth stage of the Vuelta a Espana, Juan Jose Lobato couldn’t play a significant role in the sprint. The stage was underlined by him and the team, but the Spaniard got diarrhoea the night before. Because of it, Lobato didn’t have enough power to be in front during the final. Trentin sprinted to his third stage win, while Steven Kruijswijk crossed the finish line eleventh. 

In the final of the stage to Tomares, the riders had to climb two slopes. Clement: “I think Juan Jose didn’t have good legs. Last night, he got diarrhoea, but during the race he said he felt alright. Because of the heat today, he lost a lot of water and that brought up cramps. Too bad, because our guys put in a lot of effort. Luckily, plan two, keeping Steven in front, worked out well.

Lobato agrees with Clement: “Until the ravitaillement I felt alright. But after that, I started to feel my stomach again and I didn't have much power anymore.”

In the uphill final kilometre, Kruijswijk gained some seconds on competitors: “The final was very hectic because of the small climb at the end”, he said. “There were a lot of spectators. It was important to be in front at five kilometres from the finish line and we did that well.”