The rain turned the Vuelta’s inaugural team time trial into a test of skill and balance. The first stage of the Tour of Spain was marked by many crashes and the night complicated the task of the last teams to start. Last formation at the start, the Soudal Quick-Step set the 4th time, Remco Evenepoel scratched 26 seconds from the stars of the Jumbo-Visma (11th), but this result did not prevent the Belgian from ranting against on camera.
The world champion in solo effort pointed to the sky and the road, disgusted by the conditions in which his team raced. “We can’t see anything, brothel, would have pronounced the 23-year-old runner, filmed by the objectives of Eurosport. You have all day to do a team time trial. Rain is rain, it’s already very risky. It’s ridiculous when it’s so dark. Organizers should think about security. We couldn’t see anything. It’s strange that they let us run like that. »
In the middle of the falls, Team DSM-Firmenich was the most skilful (17′30′’). Romain Bardet’s team overtook Movistar, yet in the same second, and EF Education-Easypost after these 15 km time trial. The Italian Lorenzo Milesi is the first red jersey of this edition of the Vuelta. Team Jayco Alula has not experienced such a fate. On the contrary, she illustrated this sliding contest. Six of the eight riders from the Australian team have tasted the bitumen. Approaching a bend, the lead runner slipped on a marking on the ground, carrying almost each of his road partners in his fall. At the finish, Michael Hepburn and his teammates set one of the worst times in the clock.
Jayco Alula was not the only victim of a disputed stage in dantesque conditions. The Breton team Arkea Samsic of hope Kévin Vauquelin, who went to the ground, obtained the worst time on arrival in Barcelona.
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