Evenepoel's biggest test?

So far, Remco Evenepoel (22) has looked in control of the general classifcation. He took the red leader's jersey on stage six, and has not shown any weakness during the race. 

On the three summit finishes, he has been first up them from the group of favourites, most notably on stage nine, where he took a minute out of pre-race favourite and three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic (32) on a steep 3.2-kilometre climb.

He was a relatively unknown quantity on these types of tests and he came through that with flying colours. 

Heading into week two, he has a one minute, 12 second advantage over nearest challenger Enric Mas (27), with Roglic another 39 seconds back. There are still five riders with two-and-a-half minutes of Evenepoel, meaning this race is far from over, but given the talented Belgian's time-trial skills, this gap is likely to widen on stage 10's time trial on Tuesday.

Two big summit finishes follow on stage 12 and stage 15, with Sunday's finish in Sierra Nevada likely to cause the most damage. Evenepoel is not proven at altitude - the ascent climbs to 2,501 metres - unlike Roglic and Mas. If he has a bad day here, expect him to lose minutes due to exagerated effects of racing at altitude. 

If that doesn't happen, Remco could be riding himself to a first grand tour win. 

Vine Time

Jay Vine's (26) 'different' journey to Vuelta victory has seen him race online for a pro contract before signing a deal with Alpecin-Deceunick nearly two years ago. 

His potential was shown in last year's race when he nearly won a stage from the break, but the Australian is now realising it with two stage wins in two days - both summit finishes. They showed his versatility and race-craft as well, winning once after attacking from the main group of favourites on stage six before showing aggression on stage eight to help form the break and then riding away from them to take the stage. 

After Evenepoel, he is arguably climbing better than anyone, but can this golden patch of form continue. He will certainly be watched if he can make it into another break, which seems the likeliest route to victory, given he shipped 14 minutes to stage nine winner, Louis Meintjes (30). 

The leading teams seem to enjoy letting the break go - either that or they are not strong enough to do it - so there should be ample chances for Vine to grab more stage wins and stamp his name all over this Vuelta. Not only that but he is currently leading the mountains classification and its not impossible to think he could carry that jersey all the way to Madrid.

The Australian is without a world tour contract for next season, and if he continues with this type of form, then it's hard to see how he won't be offered by the end of September.

Springing a Surprise

For some, the biggest surprise of this race so far has been the vulnerability shown by Roglic, who is seeking a record-equalling fourth-straight Vuelta crown, but given his big crash at the Tour de France, it's not hard to see why he is not at his dominant best. 

Perhaps, then, the most surprising aspect of this race has been the lack of attacking riding of INEOS Grenadiers. Within their ranks they have two former Grand Tour winners - Richard Carapaz (29) and Tao Geohegen Hart (27) - as well as two young stars looking to make a name for themselves in Pavel Sivakov (25) and Carlos Rodriguez (21). 

At the pivotal moments in this race they have been nowhere to be seen, leading many to question how they could go about winning this race. Rodriguez is best placed to do so two-and-a-half-minutes back on Evenepoel in fourth place.

He now needs his team to work for him, cause chaos and try to dismantle the organised squad of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, who have so far been astute for their team leader in the red jersey. 

If they can do that, whilst also creating alliances with other teams, they can stretch Evenepoel to breaking point. This type of racing is win or bust and with a podium within touching distance for Rodriguez, it seems unlikely. However, of those poised to strike, he seems to be the one who could do it. 

You can follow all the results from the Vuelta a Espana with Flashscore, with stage results and reports after every stage.