Vuelta a España stage 1: Primož Roglič picks up another Spanish win
Chris Froome appeared to struggle in the first stage in his final grand tour with the Ineos Grenadiers.
From a star-studded field, Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) took the first win of the 2020 Vuelta a España.
Roglič picked up where he left off as the defending champion.
“I’m very happy. The team showed that they are all really strong, they worked perfectly through the whole day, and then I was able to win. It’s a beautiful start and I will try to enjoy it day by day,” said the defending champion.
Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) led the final 5 kilometers for his team captain, setting up Roglič for an attack at the red kite.
Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) made several attacks in the closing kilometers to try to get distance from the Jumbo-Visma riders, as well as Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Felix Großschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe), but nothing stuck.
Enric Mas (Movistar) was in the group of GC contenders at the front and commented, “I felt good, even if it was, pardon the expression, f*cking hard. The wind was very dangerous, with strong gusts, and it was cold. It’s something we’re going to have to get used to in this Vuelta.”
Chris Froome (Ineos Grenadiers) was distanced before the final climb and was not able to contribute to the Ineos Grenadiers efforts for Richard Carapaz.
Both Michael Woods and Dani Martínez (EF Pro Cycling) suffered a crash and were not in the front group for the stage finale. The two finished more than 18 minutes in arrears.
Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) who was also in the front group said, “The last climb I knew from previous years, I needed to be smart, and not go with the early attacks, or I could explode and get dropped. I had to go at my rhythm, and I could stay with them. And in the finish, I knew it was downhill and it was quite nervous.”
Roglic offered this perspective on taking the leader’s jersey on the first day and holding on to it, “Let’s start with the first one tomorrow. I just want to enjoy it here. It’s super nice in these times we can still do some races.”