Stage 1

The road

At the start

Utrecht, and a team time trial to open

The Vuelta begins in the Netherlands with 23 kilometres against the clock, eight riders at a time, on roads still drying after an afternoon of rain. Primož Roglič is chasing a fourth title, which only Roberto Heras has managed, and Jumbo-Visma have brought a team built to hand it to him. Richard Carapaz, Simon Yates and a 22-year-old Remco Evenepoel have to stop him, and can lose a minute today.

How it was won

1. 112 km to go

   The only team under twelve minutes

   Jumbo-Visma hit the intermediate checkpoint fourteen seconds up on everyone else, the only squad to go under twelve minutes on roads still drying out after the afternoon's rain.

2. 2At the line

   Gesink into the first red jersey

   The home team arrive with all eight still together, thirteen seconds clear of anyone else. Robert Gesink, the veteran, takes the leader's jersey — the first move in a campaign meant to end with a fourth straight Vuelta for Primož Roglič.

The result