Roglic lost time on stage 17 on Saturday but not enough to take the red jersey from him, the Slovenian effectively ensuring he would retain the title.
His victory was confirmed in the Spanish capital, where a thrilling sprint saw a dramatic conclusion to the 18th and final stage of the last race of the season.
Bora Hansgrohe led matters going into the final kilometre of the 139.6km route and it was they who were celebrating at the finish as Ackermann edged Sam Bennett on the line.
Roglic also takes the green points jersey, with Guillaume Martin named King of the Mountains.
"It is beautiful to finish the season like this," Roglic told Eurosport.
"I always say every time when you win it's beautiful. It's really hard. It's impossible to compare [the two titles]."
STAGE RESULT
1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 3:28:13
2. Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) Same time
3. Max Kanter (Sunweb) Same time
4. Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) Same time
5. Jasha Sutterlin (Sunweb) Same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 72:46:12
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:24
3. Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +01:15
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 204
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 133
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 111
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 99
2. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 34
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 30
A monster, 202.2-kilometre route culminated in a summit finish on Mos. Castro de Herville, with 23-year-old Champoussin attacking with 1500m remaining to take the first stage win of his professional career.
The Frenchman crossed the line six seconds ahead of Roglic, who had led a chasing pack that caught breakaway leader Ryan Gibbons with around 4km left.
Roglic's second-place finish, two seconds ahead of nearest general classification rival Enric Mas of Movistar, should surely see the Jumbo-Visma rider claim La Roja for a third successive year.
It could all change in Sunday's time trial, but having won gold in such an event at the Tokyo Olympics, Roglic will know a third Vuelta crown is within his grasp.
Should he hold onto his GC lead, which stands at 2:38, Roglic will become only the fourth rider in history to win the Vuelta on three separate occasions, while he will also match Roberto Heras' feat of three consecutive triumphs (set between 2003 and 2005).
Stage 20 belonged to Champoussin, however. After Roglic, Mas, Adam Yates and Jack Haig had caught Gibbons, the AG2R Citroen rider lodged a surprise offensive, catching the quintet cold.
For a moment, with Roglic gaining ground, it looked as though Champoussin - who only turned pro last year - may have gone too soon, but he held on to claim a maiden grand tour stage success.
Behind Roglic, Adam Yates of INEOS Grenadiers just edged out Mas to secure a top-three finish. A dismal day for Miguel Angel Lopez saw him abandon the race with 20km remaining after he failed to keep pace with the general classification group.
STAGE RESULT
1. Clement Champoussin (AG2R Citroen) 05:21:50
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +0:06
3. Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:08
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 83:11:27
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:38
3. Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) +4:48
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 250
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 179
3. Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) 145
King of the Mountains
1. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 80
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 61
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 51
What's next?
Sunday's final stage is a 33.8km time trial from Padron to Santiago de Compostela. A consistent climb is followed by downhill, technical sections and a flat straight to the line.
Three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic looked set to gain huge ground on leader Remco Evenepoel when he attacked in the final kilometres.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team positioned themselves at the front with 10km remaining of Tuesday's 188km flat stage from Sanlucar de Barrameda in Andalucia.
Yet it was Roglic's Jumbo-Visma who ended up better placed to launch an attack in the final sprint and that proved to be the case when the Slovenian opened up a gab with just under 3km remaining.
Pedersen and Pascal Ackermann followed hot on Roglic's tail while Evenepoel's frustration was compounded by a puncture, but there was more drama to come.
Danny van Poppel and Fred Wright had joined the lead group, and it was the latter who played a pivotal role in an incident that might well ensure Evenepoel wins his maiden Grand Tour title.
With just 100 metres remaining, Roglic made way for the powerful Pedersen and, as he moved back in, clipped Wright at the rear of the group, landing hard onto the road.
He was able to finish the race with the help of his team but looked in huge distress, with a nasty gash to his right knee. Evenepoel finished over three minutes further back. However, though there was initial confusion as to whether the 3km rule was in place, he ultimately lost only eight seconds to his rival.
Evenepoel, who has now led the race for 11 days, headed straight for Roglic at the finish line, and told reporters: "I heard that Primoz crashed, so I really hope he's okay and that he can continue the race.
"We all know that Primoz is explosive so a final like this is really made for him. That makes it even more of a pity for him that he crashed. You never want somebody to crash – I hope he's okay."
Evenepoel and Roglic benefited from the 3km rule, which is in place to ensure that if a rider suffers a fall, puncture or mechanical incident in the last 3km, they are credited with the same finishing time of the rider or riders they were with at the time of the incident.
Two up for Pedersen but Roglic's history hopes could be over
You can take nothing away from Pedersen, who admitted he was caught off guard by Roglic's brilliantly timed attack – one that would almost certainly have seen the Jumbo-Visma leader take the red jersey had it not been for that crash, which might have well dashed the 32-year-old's hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive Vuelta crown.
"It was a really smart move [from Roglic]. Everyone was really on the limit," Pedersen said. "I didn't hear it. I wanted to go to him here and I saw he was with destroyed clothing. It's a pity that he crashed. He hasn't been lucky this year. I hope it isn't too bad so he can continue competing for the victory of the Vuelta."
Points leader Pedersen is the first Trek-Segafredo rider to win two stages in the same edition of La Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2017, and is the third competitor to win multiple stages at this year's race, after Sam Bennett and Richard Carapaz (both two).
STAGE RESULT
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 4:45:29
2. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) same time
3. Danny van Poppel (BORA-Hansgrohe) same time
4. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) same time
5. Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) +0:08
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 61:26:26
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:26
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:01
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 349
2. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 129
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 107
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 59
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Greandiers) 30
3. Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) 22
Roglic appears especially determined to retain his red jersey in Spain, having been dramatically denied at September's Tour de France.
And his bid for a second General Classification title is going to plan so far.
Roglic was 19 seconds shy of Soler on Wednesday but led the chasing pack - including several other GC contenders - pipping Daniel Martin to claim the six-second bonus for second place.
Martin finished third for the second day running, while Richard Carapaz - second on Tuesday - was fourth, the pair switching places in the overall standings.
Victory was Spaniard Soler's reward for a late solo attack, pulling clear on the descent of the final summit for a first Grand Tour stage win.
"I'm very happy because we're racing on home roads," he said. "This was a stage we really wanted to win and we'd studied the roads this week.
"This is my first win in a Grand Tour and I'm very happy about that.
"It pays us back for all the hard work done during what has been a very difficult year. It's great for all the team and I can only thank them for their support."
Meanwhile, Chris Froome is now almost half an hour back after another poor showing in his final Grand Tour with INEOS Grenadiers.
STAGE RESULT
1. Marc Soler (Movistar Team) 3:47:04
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +00:19
3. Daniel Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:19
4. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:19
5. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) +00:19
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 04:22:24
2. Daniel Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:09
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:11
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 45
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 34
3. Daniel Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 32
King of the Mountains
1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 14
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 14
3. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 6
WHAT'S NEXT?
Thursday's stage three takes in the tough 166.1km ride from Lodosa to La Laguna Negra de Vinuesa, consisting almost solely of climbs.
Before they tackle a day in the mountains, where so much could yet change, Roglic finished runner-up on stage 16 to Magnus Cort Nielsen in a sprint finish in Ciudad Rodrigo.
Slovenian Roglic picked up six bonus seconds for his efforts, allowing him to swell his lead to 45 seconds over Richard Carapaz.
Cort Nielsen (EF Pro Cycling) recovered from COVID-19 to return to training three weeks before the Vuelta began, and he found a gap in the bunch hurtling towards the finish line to edge ahead of the field.
Roglic closely tracked him, finding a strong burst himself at the end of the 162-kilometre ride from Salamanca.
A purposeful break from Robert Stannard (Mitchelton-Scott) and Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) had earlier seen the escapees build a lead of around five minutes over the peloton.
Cavagna went it alone inside the final 20 kilometres in a bold solo bid, with the last of the hills out of the way, and he led a steadily closing pack by 15 seconds with five kilometres remaining.
But the Frenchman could not stay in front as the peloton worked together, and he had been swallowed up with two kilometres remaining, setting up the dash for the line.
STAGE RESULT
1. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Pro Cycling) 4:04:35
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Dion Smith (Mitchelton-Scott) same time
4. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) same time
5. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 64:20:31
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:45
3. Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +00:53
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 198
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 123
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 111
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 89
2. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 34
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 30
What's next?
The 178.2km ride from Sequeros to the mountaintop finish at Alto de La Covatilla on Saturday will determine the winner of La Vuelta. There are tough climbs awaiting the riders from the early stages in the saddle, as they chase glory ahead of Sunday's processional finale, when they take the road to Madrid.
Danish rider Cort, who also triumphed on stages six and 12, was the quickest man in a breakaway, holding off Rui Oliveira and Quinn Simmons to clinch victory in Monforte de Lemos.
EF Education-Nippo team-mate Lawson Craddock powered out to lead the final sprint and though Simmons attacked with 200 metres to go, it was Cort who caught the slipstream to claim a dramatic win by a bike length at the culmination of a 191.2-kilometre stage.
Cort, who won two stages in the 2016 Vuelta and one in 2020, said: "It's amazing, it's a dream now, I really hope I don't wake up. It was not before the last five or six kilometres that I started believing.
"They always kept us close and it was a really hard day. We didn't always work perfect together in the front, we had a few attacks that reduced the size of the group.
"I think everybody had tired legs and it was hard to work together in this hilly terrain but somehow we managed to hang onto it."
Roglic kept his general classification competitors at arm's length as he retained his grasp on La Roja heading into the last two stages, finishing 18 seconds behind the leaders.
Saturday's mountain stage could still cause problems, while Roglic has been hurt by time trials in grand tours before – the 2020 Tour de France was settled in Tadej Pogacar's favour in such a manner – but the Slovenian looks well placed to make it three Vuelta wins in a row.
Roglic's family were on hand to witness him receive the 50th overall leader jersey of his career, and the Olympic gold medallist knows he is on the verge of a remarkable achievement.
"It’s beautiful to have my family here. They are my life and I'm very happy," he said.
"It was a hard day from the start to the finish. A super strong break went away. For us, it was fine, and we could take it easy. But La Vuelta is coming to an end so there aren’t much opportunities left.
"The sprinters' teams pulled with a super hard tempo. It's crazy [that this is my 50th Grand Tour leader’s jersey]. Hopefully I can keep it."
STAGE RESULT
1. Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) 04:24:54
2. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) same time
3. Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 77:49:37
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:30
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar) +2:53
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 250
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 162
3. Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) 144
King of the Mountains
1. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 59
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 54
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 48
What's next?
Saturday's route is a monster. A 202.2km stage from Sanxenxo to Mos. Castro de Herville takes in five short but difficult climbs after a relatively flat start.
The Jumbo-Visma rider crashed on Tuesday but put that behind him by holding off Enric Mas and Miguel Angel Lopez at the end of the 133.6-kilometre stretch from Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen on stage 11.
Magnus Cort for a while looked as though he would claim a second stage triumph of his own, but he was caught inside the final 150 metres of the uphill climb and eventually finished down in 25th.
Instead, it was Roglic who timed his burst to perfection as he moved away from the main pack and finished three seconds clear of Movistar's Mas.
Roglic stays third in the general classification, one minute and 56 seconds behind Odd Christian Eiking, who is 58s ahead of Guillaume Martin after finishing strongly to end in 10th place.
"It was close again, eh? It was a hard stage," Roglic said after the race. "It was short but super hot again. I was also suffering a lot but luckily at the end I had enough for a win.
"Mas is also really super strong and luckily I had a little more at the end. It's always nice to win. You never know when it's the last one.
"It was a nice finish with a steep uphill where I can normally do well.
"It was a nice challenge, and the team did an amazing job pushing hard all day and keeping the breakaway at a distance so big thanks to them."
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 3:11:00
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +0:03
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar) +0:05
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 41:48:57
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:58
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:56
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 180
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 101
3. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 84
King of the Mountains
1. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 22
3. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 17
What's next?
Thursday's stage is another hilly one that starts in Jaen and concludes 175km later in the city of Cordoba. There are two climbs in the final third of the stage, providing a chance to break away.
David Gaudu stormed up La Covatilla to claim a magnificent second stage victory of this year's Vuelta, but it was further down the mountain where the drama was unfolding.
Roglic started a brutal, decisive stage 17 on Saturday with a 45-second lead over Carapaz, but the Jumbo-Visma rider was in danger of losing the red jersey on a gruelling final climb to a mountain-top finish.
Hugh Carthy, third in the General Classification standings, made a move with 4.5km to go, yet Roglic and Carapaz reacted and were able to follow the Brit again when he burst away for a second time.
Roglic and Carthy could not catch Ecuadorian climber Carapaz when he decided the time had come to make one massive final push to try and win the race 3km from the end of the gruelling 178.2km stage from Sequeros.
A shattered Roglic looked to be in trouble as he faded and was left isolated as INEOS Grenadiers rider Carapaz darted up the mountain, with the leader struggling on the steeper sections.
Carthy also moved away from Roglic, but the reigning champion dug deep to cross the line 21 seconds after Carapaz, who will have to settle for second place.
Roglic endured the agony of sensationally losing his Tour de France lead to Tadej Pogacar on the decisive stage in September, but he was not to be denied on this occasion despite the best efforts of Carapaz in an enthralling battle.
A second Grand Tour title will be Rogic's at the end of a 124.4km flat processional ride from Hipodromo de la Zarzuela to Madrid on Sunday.
STAGE RESULT
1. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) 4:54:32
2. Gino Mader (NTT) +00:28
3. Ion Izagirre (Astana) +01:05
4. David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates) +01:05
5. Mark Donovan (Sunweb) +01:53
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 64:20:31
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:24
3. Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +00:47
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 204
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 133
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 111
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 99
2. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 34
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 30
Two-time defending champion Roglic headed into Wednesday's route trailing general classification leader Odd Christian Eiking by 96 seconds, yet he put himself in a brilliant position to win a third successive Vuelta title.
Egan Bernal, another of the pre-race favourites, attacked with 61km remaining, but his effort was matched by Olympic gold medallist Roglic, who then powered away from the Colombian with 12km to go.
Giro d'Italia champion Bernal could not keep the pace and as Roglic powered away up the final ascent of Lagos de Covadonga, he was swallowed up by the chasing pack in the final kilometre.
Roglic crossed the line well over a minute ahead of Jumbo-Visma team-mate Sepp Kuss and now holds a big advantage over Movistar duo Enric Mas and Miguel Angel Lopez, while Eiking was dropped by the chasing group before he crashed on a descent.
While he will be confident of holding on to defend his title, Roglic knows Thursday's stage – a 162.6km route featuring four climbs – will be crucial.
"In cycling there's always a risk and a lot of things can happen but it went well today. I enjoyed it and it's a super nice day for me and the whole team," he said.
"I just went with [Bernal]. It's a race eh? I didn't think, I just went with him. Then I was thinking 'it's quite far' a little bit. It's still a hard climb at the end. I was going good, it was a real show, real racing.
"I just tried to ride up the climb as fast as possible. At that point Egan didn't follow anymore so I just went alone.
"Tomorrow is a real queen stage coming. We'll see if [my lead] will be enough after tomorrow."
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 04:34:45
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +1:35
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 68:42:56
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:22
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar) +3:11
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 250
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 145
3. Matteo Trentin (UAE-Team Emirates) 123
King of the Mountains
1. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 51
2. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 34
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 33
What's next?
Thursday's race from Salas to Altu d'El Gamoniteiru really could decide the general classification tussle in Roglic's favour should he triumph. It features two category one climbs, one category two ascent and a summit finish.
Team Jumbo-Visma rider Roglic has won the Vuelta in each of the peast two years and is favourite to continue his dominance of the race.
Giro d'Italia champion Egan Bernal will be expected to mount a strong challenge after skipping the Tour de France, while the Colombian's INEOS Grenadiers team-mates Richard Carapaz and Adam Yates could have a big say.
This 76th edition of the race will have eight mountain top finishes, with 11 stages featuring mountains, including the Picon Blanco with a gradient in some sections of the climb at 17 per cent.
Stats Perform picks out the big stories and standout Opta facts ahead of a race that will finish in Santiago de Compostela on September 5.
OLYMPIC CHAMPION ROGLIC TARGETING RARE TREBLE
Roglic put his Tour de France woes behind him to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics last month, claiming Slovenia's first gold medal in any cycling discipline.
The 31-year-old abandoned the Tour after a brutal first week but should start the Vuelta on a high from his heroics in Japan.
Roglic will be bidding to move level with Tony Rominger and Alberto Contador on three Vuelta triumphs if he wins the red jersey – one shy of Roberto Heras' record.
He would also become the first rider to win the race three times in a row since Spaniard Heras in 2005.
BERNAL LEADS INEOS CHALLENGE
Bernal claimed his maiden Giro title this year after winning his first Grand Tour crown in the 2019 Tour.
The 24-year-old sat out the 2021 Tour and has been training at altitude in his homeland ahead of a bid to complete a clean sweep of Grand Tour titles.
Bernal could become only the third Colombian to win the race, with Nairo Quintana being the last in 2016.
INEOS have a strong hand as Carapaz and Yates plot a title challenge.
LANDA HOPEFUL OF ENDING SPANISH DROUGHT
No Spanish rider has triumphed in the previous six editions of the race on home soil. If that extends to seven, it will be an unwanted record drought.
But Mikel Landa is hopeful of topping the podium after winning the Vuelta de Burgos following his recovery from a broken collarbone and several broken ribs suffered in a Giro crash.
He told the Deia: "Winning the Vuelta de Burgos was unexpected, but it was a great morale boost after so long out injured.
"Now I am going to the Vuelta with optimism. At the end of the day, I haven't competed much this year and I have the bit between my teeth after the Giro. I know I have to be careful, because I am still lacking a bit of form, but I am very motivated."
Roglic entered the 33.8 kilometre ride from Padron to Santiago de Compostel all but sure of winning La Roja barring a remarkable turn of events.
And the Slovenian finished things off in style as he became only the fourth rider in history to win the Vuelta on three separate occasions.
Roglic also succeeded in matching Roberto Heras' feat of three consecutive triumphs (set between 2003 and 2005).
He did so by crossing the line in 44 minutes and two seconds, claiming his fourth stage win of this year's Vuelta, which was bookended by Roglic victories, the Olympic time trial champion have started this year's race with a triumph on stage one.
The Jumbo-Visma rider surpassed Magnus Cort's previous best time by 14 seconds, with Thymen Arensman 52 seconds off the pace in third.
It meant his final winning margin over Spain's Enric Mas (Movistar) was a massive four minutes and 42 seconds, with Australia's Jack Haig third for Bahrain Victorious.
As if to hammer home his superiority, Roglic overtook Mas on the final turn before crossing the line, providing an exclamation point as he underlined his status as one of the finest Grand Tour racers on the planet and a clear favourite to challenge for yet more glory next season.
The Jumbo-Visma rider dominated the uphill finish in Friday's predominantly flat 185-kilometre stage from Castro Urdiales to Suances for his third stage victory.
Roglic moved up in Andrea Bagioli's slipstream and took 10 bonus seconds to move level with erstwhile General Classification leader Carapaz, who lost three seconds.
He takes the race jersey by virtue of his superior placings in the first 10 stages and is the favourite to retain the title he won last year.
"It's beautiful. What can I say? I'm super happy," Roglic said. "It's never easy to win but I had the legs, and it's really, really nice.
"I'm one year older and stronger. Like a wine, the older the better. I'm again in red, but it doesn't really change much for our team.
"We need to keep the momentum and the focus. A weekend in the mountains is coming, so we will do our best."
Sam Bennett was the pre-stage favourite but was dropped with 27km to go, a day after being denied victory on stage nine for barging into Emils Liepins.
Bora-Hansgrohe's Felix Grossschartner had greater success, finishing second to Roglic, while Bagioli (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) was third.
Dan Martin was one of seven other riders to be given the same time as the stage winner, meaning he is within 25 seconds of the overall race lead.
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 04:14:11
2. Felix Grossschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
3. Andrea Bagioli (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) same time
4. Alex Aranburu (Astana) same time
5. Robert Stannard (Mitchelton-Scott) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 40:25:15
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) same time
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:25
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 129
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 83
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 82
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 27
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 24
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 24
What's next?
The race moves to the mountains on Saturday as the riders make the 170km journey from Villaviciosa to Alto de la Farrapona - a stage containing four category one climbs, including the Colladona mountain pass.
The Jumbo-Visma rider was involved in a tense battle with Carapaz over the final stretch of Wednesday's stage, which took the riders from Logrono to Alto de Moncalvillo.
Roglic countered his rival with a fine late counterpunch and finished 13 seconds quicker, as well as earning 10 bonus seconds, compared to Carapaz's six.
He is now up to second in the General Classification, 13 seconds behind the pacesetter after his remarkable stage eight win. He had begun the day 30 seconds behind.
"It was quite a boring, slow start and the pace went up and it was super fast and harder after the second to last climb," Roglic said.
"I always like to win, so if there is a small opportunity I will take it. It was super hard today and, luckily, I had the legs and I'm happy to win the stage.
"It's nice to get some time back but most of all it's nice to win the race."
Israel Start-Up Nation's Daniel Martin slumped to the ground as he crossed the line in third, tightening his grip on the same position in the GC, with Hugh Carthy slipping to fourth.
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 04:07:08
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:13
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:19
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana) +00:25
5. Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +00:33
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 32:31:06
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +00:13
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:28
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 104
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 81
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 73
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 27
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 24
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 24
What's next?
Thursday sees the riders travel 157.7 kilometres from Castrillo del Val to Aguilar de Campoo - a flat stage that points to a sprint finish.
The first mountain stage of this year's Vuelta promised to shake things up in the general classification pack but two-time defending champion Roglic retained his place in pole position.
However, his lead was trimmed down by 17 seconds in total, with Felix Grossschartner - who finished one minute and 32 seconds behind Storer - closing the gap.
Enric Mas, who was in second, stayed 25 seconds back from Roglic.
The day belonged to Storer, however, with the Team DSM rider powering to victory on the breakaway, finishing 21 seconds clear of Carlos Verona up the Balcon de Alicante, the last of six categorised climbs on Friday.
Storer's aggression paid off with 4km remaining when he countered an attack from Movistar's Verona, who crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of third-placed Pavel Sivakov, who also clinched the lead in the climbers' classification.
Verona's effort capped a difficult day for Movistar, who lost Alejandro Valverde with around 40km of the route remaining.
The Spaniard, who started the day fourth overall, attacked on the Puerto El Colloa, attempting to put his GC rivals onto the back foot, only to spin out of control on a difficult right-hand turn.
Valverde, the 2009 Vuelta champion, crashed through a gap in the barriers and onto the lip of the hillside, though fortunately managed to avoid tumbling over it.
He attempted to carry on after receiving treatment, but could not last and is out of the tour.
STAGE RESULT
1. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 4:10:13
2. Carlos Verona (Movistar) +0:22
3. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:59
4. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +1:16
5. Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) +1:24
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 25:18:35
2. Felix Grossschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:08
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +0:25
Points Classification
1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 131
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 130
3. Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) 67
King of the Mountains
1. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS-Grenadiers) 16
2. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 12
3. Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) 11
What's next?
It is back to the flats for stage eight, with a sprint finish into La Manga del Mar Menor rounding off the first week of action.
Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider Senechal claimed his maiden Grand Tour stage win at Villanueva de la Serena on Friday.
Senechal's team-mate – and green jersey holder – Fabio Jakobsen looked poised for the victory heading into the twisty last 5 kilometres, but slipped off the pace at the vital moment.
The Frenchman subsequently held his nerve during the final sprint as he pipped Matteo Trentin to the line.
"I don't realise yet that I’ve won a Grand Tour stage," he said.
"It's crazy. At first, I thought Demare was going to pass me, or [Michael] Matthews. But nobody did.
"I don't know how to thank my team-mates. They did a crazy job to put me in the perfect position. A thousand thanks.
"I am lucky today and I'm very happy for my family, my friends and my wife. It’s a good present."
Meanwhile, GC leader Eiking survived the day in the valley to maintain his hold on the red jersey ahead of a brutal summit finish at Pico Villuercas on Saturday.
Although, the Norwegian is expecting defending champion Primoz Roglic to pose a significant threat to his chances of retaining La Roja.
"I'm happy I didn't lose too much time [on Friday]," he said.
"I want to try and keep the red jersey tomorrow, but it depends mostly on Roglic.
"If he decides to stand up and go for it, it's going to be difficult but if I'm lucky and if I have the legs, I can keep fighting for the jersey."
STAGE RESULT
1. Florian Senechal (Deceuninck-Quick Step) 4:58:23
2. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates)
3. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) +0:02
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 50:31:52
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +0:58
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:56
Points Classification
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 200
2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education–Nippo) 114
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 106
King of the Mountains
1. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 31
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) 27
3. Michael Storer (Team DSM) 17
What's next?
The riders return to the mountains on Saturday for Stage 14, which will run 165.7km between Don Benito and Pico Villeurcas.
Monday's demanding 202.8 kilometer route saw the first summit finish and Taaramae, whose only stage win at the race came in 2011, saw off some strong climbers to come out on top.
The 34-year-old finished 21 seconds ahead of Joe Dombrowski and Kenny Elissonde was a further 15 seconds back in third as the general classification standings were shaken up.
Previous race leader Roglic drops to third overall after finishing seventh on Monday, 30 seconds behind Taaramae, who is 25 seconds better off than the second-placed Elissonde.
Taaramae is the first Estonian to secure the red jersey after getting the better of an eight-man breakaway. Dombrowski and Lilian Calmejane, who eventually came fourth, took it in turn to attack but Taaramae had the legs to see the job through.
Hugh Carthy, who finished third in this event last year, lost 21 seconds on favourite Roglic, while Olympic road race champion Richard Carapaz is over two minute adrift of the new leader after failing to keep up with the chasing pack.
"Yesterday evening me and my team spoke about winning this stage and taking the leader's jersey," Taaramae said. "I believed in myself today because I'm in a good state.
"Today was all about whether the peloton would catch us or not. When I saw that we could do it then I had questions about how good Joe Dombrowski and Kenny Elissonde
"They are all good riders but Joe and Kenny are really good so I don't know if I can beat them, but I believed it because I already did it many times.
"Red is a big achievement because I'm 34 and I don't have many years left to try to do this. I have a stage in the Vuelta and Giro but I dream a lot about a leader's jersey in a Grand Tour – at least for a few days."
STAGE RESULT
1. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 05:16:57
2. Joe Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates) +0:21
3. Kenny Elissonde (Trek–Segafredo) +0:36
4. Lilian Calmejane (AG2R Citroen Team) +1:16
5. Enric Mas (Movistar) +01.45
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 09:25:44
2. Kenny Elissonde (Trek–Segafredo) +0:25
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +0:30
Points Classification
1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 50
3. Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech) 50
King of the Mountains
1. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 10
2. Kenny Elissonde (Trek–Segafredo) 7
3. Joe Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates) 6
What's next?
Tuesday's stage spans 163.9km from El Burgo de Osma to Molina de Aragon and will once again favour the sprinters.
The Irish rider, competing for Israel Start-Up Nation, fended off Primoz Roglic and Richard Carapaz after a tight finish in the town of Vinuesa, dedicating the success to his team and family.
A five-rider break with just under 50 kilometres to go always looked unconvincing, and although the gap reached a minute and a half at one point, it had been trimmed significantly by the time the final climb arrived.
The 166.1-kilometre drag from Lodosa to La Laguna Negra – the Black Lagoon – had been building towards the final 8.6km ascent, and Martin had the legs to hold off his rivals in a sprint over the final 500 metres.
Martin told Spanish broadcaster TDP: "I've come so close this year to winning and I just wanted to win a stage for this team because they've been so good to me."
He praised the support he and team-mates had received amid the COVID-19 crisis, saying: "There were no salary cuts or anything like that and the team was really motivated for the whole of lockdown because of that to train harder."
Martin competed at the Tour de France, but fracturing a bone at the base of his spine just weeks before that race hindered his competitiveness.
Married to British athlete Jess Martin, with whom he had twin daughters two years ago, the latest Vuelta stage winner dedicated the success to his family.
Tearfully, he said: "It's part for me and part for my wife as well, because it's the first time I've won a race since my kids were born and it's really special."
Martin sits second in the General Classification, with Roglic remaining the overall race leader by five seconds.
STAGE RESULT
1. Dan Martin (Israel State-Up Nation) 4:27:49
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers)
4. Wouter Poels (Bahrain-McLaren) +0:04
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana Pro) +0:07
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 12:37:24
2. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +0:05
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:13
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 65
2. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 57
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 50
King of the Mountains
1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 18
2. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 16
3. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 14
WHAT'S NEXT?
Friday's stage four sees the riders head off from Garray for the 191.7km journey to Ejea de los Caballeros. With next to no climbing, expect a congested sprint for the finish line.
The Australian made his decisive move on Saturday's stage eight with just under 6km remaining as crowds roared on his bravura move, with the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider leaving behind fellow breakaway riders.
Vine had a 25-second lead with 1.5km remaining as Spaniard Marc Soler just about stayed in touch, but the gap was 43 seconds in the end, the home challenge having faded.
The 153.4-kilometre Asturias mountain stage from Pola de Laviana contained a sting in the tail, a category one ascent to the Collau Fancuaya finish.
Having won an exacting stage from Bilbao to Pico Jano on Thursday for his first Grand Tour win, it was impressive that Vine was able to produce a repeat.
"It's incredible," said 26-year-old Vine on Eurosport. "I've got so much more confidence after that first one, I got the monkey off my back. It felt so much more natural riding in the group today and all the pressure was off me. Today was such a fun day."
He featured among a group that surged clear of the peloton and held a lead of over four minutes inside 60km, and although it later splintered Vine had plenty of company heading into the closing 10km.
His surge did the job, though, denying Soler what would have been a third Spanish victory in four days following Jesus Herrada's Friday win.
In the general classification picture, Remco Evenepoel stayed out in front, but Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) slipped from second to 30th overall after a rough ride, allowing Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic to each nudge up a place to podium positions.
Vine vaults to KOM top spot
Vine's dominant ride saw him take over at the top of the King of the Mountains standings – the fourth Australian to achieve that feat after Simon Clarke, Nathan Haas and Michael Storer – following misfortune for previous leader Victor Langellotti.
Langellotti (Burgos-BH) crashed out early in the stage and was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured collarbone and concussion.
STAGE RESULT
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +0:43
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 0:43
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +0:47
5. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1:20
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 29:28:19
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +0:28
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:01
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 147
2. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 142
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 16
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 12
The 29-year-old Belgian, twice a stage winner on the Giro d'Italia in seasons gone by, is making his Vuelta debut this year and ensured it would be one to remember.
He was locked in a scrap for first place with Frenchman Guillaume Martin and Dutch youngster Thymen Arensman, but the Lotto Soudal rider would not be denied, victory carrying him to the top of the early King of the Mountains standings.
Wellens resisted a charge from Arensman at the flamme rouge and pushed clear on the uphill finale of the 184.4-kilometre ride from Huesca, with Martin taking second place, four seconds back.
"It feels super good," Wellens said. "It was the goal of the team to have minimum one victory in the Vuelta and it's super nice it's come so early.
"Now in the next weeks we don't stress, so I'm super happy with the victory."
Assessing the race in the closing stages, he said: "We rode super good together. All three of us were a little bit at the same level but I had the kick at the end that brought me to victory."
A hilly second half of the stage had split the field, with Wellens part of a mid-race breakaway of a dozen riders that was gradually whittled down to the trio that entered the last kilometre with the spoils up for grabs.
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) led the sprint from the peloton to cross the line in fourth, remaining the General Classification leader as the race heads to the Pyrenees on Sunday.
Roglic's closest rival overall in the red jersey stakes, Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation), crashed in the closing metres, along with David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), but the Irish rider was able to get back on his bike and complete the stage.
STAGE RESULT
1. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 04:19:25
2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +00:04
3. Thymen Arensman (Team Sunweb) +00:12
4. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +02:13
5. Felix Grossschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) +02:13
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 20:52:31
2. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) +0:05
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:13
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 79
2. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 57
3. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 57
King of the Mountains
1. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 19
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 18
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 16
WHAT'S NEXT?
The riders have tackled moderate hills so far but Sunday takes them into the Pyrenees, albeit not on the route that was planned initially. French coronavirus restrictions have forced Vuelta organisers to cancel the scheduled Tourmalet summit finish, with the stage instead ending with the category one Aramon Formigal climb.
Wellens won stage five in Sabinanigo last month and the Belgian crossed the line first again at the end of a gruesome stage 14 in Ourense.
The Lotto Soudal rider left enough in the tank to come out on top in a sprint finish ahead of Michael Woods, Zdenek Stybar and Dylan van Baarle on the 204.7km route from Lugo
After tackling a category three climb of the Alto de Abelaira late in the stage, Marc Soler tried to go solo with 20km to go but he was reeled in.
Stybar, Wellens and Soler worked well together at the front before they were joined by Woods and Van Baarle put in some powerful late work.
It was Wellens who had the pace to double his tally of stage victories in this year's race, which Roglic is in a great position to win for the second successive year.
The Jumbo-Visma rider finished in the peloton to stay in the red jersey, which he regained with time-trial victory on Tuesday, with a 39-second advantage over Richard Carapaz.
Hugh Carthy remains 47 seconds adrift of Slovenian Roglic, who was 10th on stage 14.
STAGE RESULT
1. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 4:37:05
2. Michael Woods (EF Pro Cycling) same time
3. Zdenek Stybar (Deceuninck-Quick Step) same time
4. Dylan van Baarle (INEOS Grenadiers) same time
5. Marc Soler (Movistar) +00:11
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 53:57:05
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:39
3. Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +00:47
Points Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 178
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 113
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 111
King of the Mountains
1. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 76
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 30
3. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) 28
What's next?
Breakaways will be expected on long, demanding 230.8 km 15th stage from Mos to Puebla de Sanabria on Thursday, with the peloton likely to have their work cut out trying to contain riders who escape on a winding route.
