Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar of UAE has won the first stage of the Spanish tour, a 9.4-kilometer time trial in Monaco. Pogacar completed the course in 10 minutes and 57 seconds, beating England's Ethan Hayter by just nine hundredths of a second. Josh Tarling rounded out the podium, four seconds behind the winner.
Pogacar, who resides in Monaco, leveraged his familiarity with the streets to secure the win. Other notable cyclists included Wout van Aert, eighth at nine seconds, and Iván Romeo, the first Spaniard classified in 19th place, 18 seconds adrift. Primoz Roglic conceded 22 seconds to the winner.
The sole Valencian participant in this edition of the Vuelta, Pau Martí from Moixent, finished in 49th position, 33 seconds behind Pogacar. The Valencian cyclist thus passed his first test in the competition.
The Vuelta a España will continue this Sunday with the first road stage, connecting the Principality of Monaco with Manosque. It will cover 214 kilometers, the longest stage of the edition, crossing Provence and offering a potential opportunity for sprinters.
