Stage 1

The road

At the start

An eighteen-day Vuelta, straight uphill

The last Grand Tour of the strangest season starts in the Basque Country instead of the Netherlands and runs for eighteen days instead of twenty-one. It begins where most races would build up to: the Alto de Arrate above Eibar. Spain's second wave is rising faster than the race is, and the Giro's mass withdrawals are a week old. Primož Roglič defends; Richard Carapaz leads Ineos.

How it was won

1. 153 km to go

   Break over the Kanpazar

   A pandemic-delayed Vuelta opens straight into the Basque hills, the day's escape cresting the Alto de Kanpazar as the GC teams keep a wary leash.

2. 217 km to go

   The GC ignites early

   On the Alto de Elgeta the general classification explodes on day one, the favourites tearing the race apart before the final haul to Arrate.

3. 35 km to go

   An elite eight

   On the brutally steep slopes of the Alto de Arrate above Eibar, an elite lead group of eight forms, the pure climbers testing one another on the ramps.

4. 42 km to go

   Roglič jumps

   Into the final kilometre Primož Roglič accelerates clear of the group, the defending champion serving early notice atop the Arrate.

5. 5At the line

   Roglič takes the first red

   Roglič wins the opening stage above Eibar with Carapaz and Dan Martin a second back, pulling on the first red jersey of the race.

The result