POGACAR SNATCHES MONACO TT VICTORY, CLAIMS RED JERSEY BY SMALLEST OF MARGINS
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) went into red from his first stage at the Vuelta since winning his first Tour de France more than six years ago. The most decorated rider of this generation took the opening stage time trial by 0.09s from Britain’s Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step). Third on the day went to another British rider, Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos) competing for the first time since the death of his brother Finlay at the Tour of Portugal a week ago.
For the first time in the race’s history, the Vuelta started from Monaco, making the principality the first country to host the start of every Grand Tour. The 9.4km course was almost perfectly flat, with the first half offering sweeping straights right out of the Grand Prix circuit for the power riders, while the second part contained several technical, tight corners, better suited to the more proficient bike handlers.
‘I passed my apartment’ – Pogacar reacts to ‘really special’ Stage 1 win on familiar ground
Video credit: TNT Sports
It also made for modest margins and more than a few surprising early results. Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon-CMA CGM) was the first rider to enjoy a reasonable stint in the hot seat, the 23-year-old setting an impressive benchmark time of 11:20. He was briefly displaced by his team-mate Sander De Pestel before both were overhauled by Grand Tour debutant Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) who went four seconds quicker than both. Brennan held the lead for half an hour himself, before Tudor Pro Cycling’s Arthur Kluckers took another two seconds off.
Kluckers handed over to another debutant, Oscar Chamberlain of Decathlon-CMA CGM, who took advantage of local familiarity to put in a strong time that would ultimately be good enough for the top 10. He would go on to vacate the chair to Edinburgh’s Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
The first of the favourites to ride down the ramp from the famous Casino Square was Tarling. The course was not ideally suited to the TT specialist, but it had enough in it for him to edge out Thornley by a single second. There was plenty of will for the Welsh rider’s time to go the distance, but it was another Briton, Hayter, who would go quicker, putting in the time trial of his career in the process.
Watch as Tarling narrowly beats Thornley to temporarily lead Stage 1
Video credit: TNT Sports
As the GC favourites and one-day stars alike failed to beat his time, Hayter appeared increasingly comfortable in the chair. When Pogacar went through the intermediate time check two seconds down, Hayter had reason to believe a first Grand Tour stage win was within his grasp. Unfortunately for him, Pogacar has a history of snatching victory from every possible scenario. When the five-time Tour de France champion crossed the line, the clock stayed green. He had won by less than one-tenth of a second.
Hayter stood up out of the hot seat and turned away from the camera.
The win, which came with Pogacar’s first maillot rojo, makes him an even firmer favourite to complete the set of Grand Tours, with some speculating he could wear the jersey all the way to the finish in Granada.