Tadej Pogacar's remarkable progression in his first WorldTour season at the age of 20 continued at the Vuelta a España, where the UAE Team Emirates rider took a solo stage win in the Pyrenees, despite inclement weather conditions.

Undeterred by the hail and rainstorm that hit the Vuelta in the final hours of stage 9, the young Slovenian rider thrived in the harsh weather.

"I was really happy to see the weather forecast last night," Pogacar said after the summit finish of the Cortal d'Encampment.

"On the gravel section right before the climb, I tried my best to push the gas pedal full throttle. It was tough in the rain, but I felt good."

"I followed [Nairo] Quintana and attacked him with three kilometers to go. With 1.5km to go, Quintana had a 20-second advantage. So I just enjoyed it from there. It was an incredible feeling.

Thanks to his strong showing on the climbs, Pogacar has moved up to fifth overall, 1:42 back, and while it seems unlikely that he will finish in the top four on GC (all within 20 seconds of each other), he will at least close the gap on Tuesday.

The Slovenian is currently the country's time trial champion, but that is just one of his top results over the past two years; Pogacar, who won the Tour de Lavenir in 2018, has already won the Tour of Algarve and Tour of California this year. 20 That's a lot of results for a 20-year-old.

Pogacar is unsure of his chances in GC contention, but says he will "do everything possible" to finish in the top five or top 10 in Madrid

As for the race against the clock in Pau on Tuesday following Monday's rest day, Pogacar said he will "go full gas."

And after Sunday's impressive victory, there seems to be little limit to what Pogacar can accomplish now.