Jonas Vingegaard soloed to victory in the 2023 Vuelta a Espana Stage 16 on Tuesday and climbed to second overall, 29 seconds behind teammate and race leader Sepp Kuss.

Kuss, the American Jumbo-Visma rider, has led the standings since Stage 8, but back-to-back Tour de France winner Vingegaard has trimmed that advantage to a narrow margin.

Danish star Vingegaard admitted on Monday's rest day he suffered severe stomach problems in the first few stages of the race and said he was glad to still be involved - now, he is firmly in contention for a third Grand Tour triumph.

Earlier Tuesday, another rider for the Dutch team, Nathan Van Hooydonck, was left in the hospital after being involved in a car crash in Belgium.

"I'm just happy to win today," Vingegaard told Eurosport. "We had some terrible news this morning, and I wanted to win for my best friend. There is good news about it, about his condition. That's a big relief for me and for the team, and I hope he will recover soon."

Vingegaard would not be drawn on whether he would wrestle the red jersey Wednesday from Kuss, who usually takes an assisting role, rather than the limelight.

"I just want to enjoy this moment and not think about that," he added.

The peloton kept up a high speed on the wet run from Liencres beach to Bejes in Cantabria, a short 120.5 kilometers, with a tricky Category 2 climb finale.

The race started in the rain with plenty of attacks, but no solid breakaway formed, the group intact after 50 kilometers.

Halfway through the race, the day's break finally formed, including green jersey holder, Kaden Groves.

It was swallowed up with 10 kilometers to go, and Vingegaard attacked first on the final climb with four remaining.

Nobody could catch him, and he now sits close behind Kuss, with three-time Vuelta winner and their teammate Primoz Roglic third, 1 minute, 33 seconds behind the overall leader.

Stage 17 on Wednesday likely will be a crucial one in the general classification battle, running 124.5 kilometers between Ribadesella and Altu de L'Angliru.

The 78th edition of the Vuelta ends Sunday in Madrid after 21 stages and 3,153.8 kilometers.