Remco wasn't maybe at his very peak, but that's how humans are, and that's what we'll have to accept / deal with.
Roglic / Vingegaard / ... can also have good days and bad days (and they maybe already had a bad day at Arinsal which they came through unscathed), but while Roglic and Vingegaard have had GTs with no bad days, it seems Remco has, until now, always has had bad days, whether or not bad luck (crashes / illness) is involved. He hasn't had one big tour without illness or crashes, and this Vuelta is no different.
That's not to be used as an excuse as in "if he would have been healthy, he would win with a margin", but rather as the reality and the menu of the day. I will be happy if he finishes on the podium in good health, being faced with his physical limits, much more than seeing him crush the competition in week 1, only to crash out / falter / get ill like he has already done before.
So my only hope is to have some mano-a-mano battles with Roglic / Vingegaard in week 2 and 3 (and hopefully have some of the breakaway riders of yesterday in the mix for a looooong time, like Kuss and Martinex) and I honestly don't care who wins.