Rudy Molard knows Sunday's stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana could be his last in the leader's red jersey given the form of nearest rival Alejandro Valverde.
Molard surprisingly sits at the top of the general classification ahead of Monday's first rest day having produced a solid display, the FDJ rider moving into red after stage five.
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A time penalty for taking a bottle inside the final 20 kilometres of that etape reduced Molard's lead and Valverde's win on Saturday saw the Frenchman's advantage cut to 37 seconds.
Sunday provides a packed route that includes three climbs before the summit finish in La Covatilla, and Molard is realistic about his chances of keeping Valverde at bay.
"It will be difficult to keep the jersey on the big climb," he told reporters.
"I hope I will be able to do so, but when I see Valverde's current form, it's clear who's the big favourite.
"I don't know much about Sunday's final climb, and I've never done it. I'd prefer something shorter and steeper, but we will see what we can do.
"There are 4,000 metres of vertical climbing on the stage, so it's going to be a very tough one for everybody. We'll all reach the foot of the Covatilla feeling very tired.
"Then we'll see what happens."
