Tadej Pogacar dazzled in Monaco by winning the first stage of the 81st Vuelta a Espana on Saturday.
The Slovenian, bidding to win the only Grand Tour to elude him, broke the heart of Britain's Ethan Hayter to win the 9.4km individual time trial by 0.09 seconds.
Rolling down the start ramp out of Monte Carlo's glitzy casino, UAE Team Emirates star Pogacar tore around the narrow and twisty course and made up time late on to snatch the victory.
Britain's Josh Tarling finished an emotional third fastest having decided to race eight days after the death of his brother Fin at the Volta a Portugal.
For the 27-year-old Pogacar, it was his 36th Grand Tour stage victory, adding to the six Giro d’Italia and 26 Tour de France stage wins in his illustrious palmares. Returning to the Vuelta for the first time since his third-place finish as a Grand Tour rookie in 2019, he tops the general classification after the first day of racing.
Pogacar said: “It’s a weird feeling to win the opening time trial by such a small margin. I was not expecting it. And this red is a really nice colour. For sure, I think I gained that 0.09 seconds when we passed in front of my apartment, because that was the most technical part of the course. I walk and cycle there every day. Even though it’s completely different in a race, knowing these roads super well helped me a lot today.
“When I was going to the start line, I saw that Josh [Tarling] had the best time. I really wanted him to win today, I was rooting for him. Then I came to the intermediate, and I heard a different name, it was Ethan Hayter in front of me by three seconds. I gave it all, without taking risks. And I would really like to see Josh perform well in this Vuelta.
“[Keeping the Red Jersey for three weeks] is going to be tough. Already tomorrow, some guys can break away or take it with bonus seconds. It’s going to be tight for the Red Jersey, and we can see some shuffling in the GC.”
Elsewhere, UAE Team Emirates-XRG made a strong showing across the board in Monaco, with Jay Vine, Ivo Oliveira, and Joao Almeida all finishing inside the top 20.
Vuelta a Espana Stage 1 results:
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 10:57
2. Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) +0.09″
3. Joshua Tarling (Netcompany INEOS) +4″
