Pogacar snatches Vuelta opener from Hayter by just 0.09 seconds in absolute thriller

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is the first leader of the Vuelta a España after he mastered the stage 1 time trial in the streets on Monaco. 

The 9.2km test was a technical one and it came down to fine margins on the tight corners, and the pre-race favourite pipped Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) by just 0.09 seconds to claim the first maillot rojo of the race.

Hayter thought he had done enough after he had beaten the time of his compatriot Josh Tarling (Netcompany-Ineos), and he would have believed even more when Pogačar came through the time check two seconds behind.

This iteration of Pogačar, however, is never beaten, and the Slovenian cruised through the final kilometre to edge out Hayter. Tarling took third at four seconds, ahead of Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who lines up after a crash-interrupted build-up, lost 22 seconds as he came home in 24th place.

The city centre course was a technical one that rewarded bike-handling, and it was the kind of day where attention to minor details in the recon could add up to a sizeable difference at the finish. 

The afternoon also saw a flurry of traffic to and from the hotseat. Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) was the early pacesetter, but he was soon overtaken by Mathias Sunekær Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek).

Jordan Labrosse was the first of three Decathlon-CMA CGM riders to enjoy a stint in the hotseat, which suggested the team had got something very right in their preparation for the opening test.

After Labrosse was superseded by Matthew Brennan (Visma Lease a Bike), his teammates Oscar Chamberlain and Léo Bisiaux reclaimed the lead for Decathlon-CMA CGM. Grand Tour debutant and Monaco resident Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) later availed of his local knowledge to clock the quickest time, but it was soon clear that his mark was under threat from Josh Tarling (Netcompany-Ineos).

Tarling was a surprise starter at the Vuelta after the tragic death of his brother Finlay in a crash at last week’s Volta a Portugal, and he was accompanied by a wave of goodwill throughout the 9.2km course. His talent did the rest. After setting the quickest time at the intermediate check, Tarling proceeded to stop the clock in 11:01, a second faster than Thornley.

But the succession of fast times didn’t stop there. Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) scorched around the course four seconds quicker than Tarling to establish a new best mark, just as Tadej Pogačar was rolling down the start ramp to kick off his Vuelta.