The Slovenian beats Hayter by a handful of hundredths of a second and makes his intentions clear from the first day of the race
Tadej Pogačar 's Vuelta a España adventure couldn't have gotten off to a better start. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG champion, who arrived in Spain as the clear favorite for the red jersey, immediately made his mark in the best possible way by winning the opening individual time trial through the streets of Monaco.
The five-time Tour de France winner covered the 9.4km course in 10:57 , a time that earned him not only the stage victory but also eviction from the hot seat by Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep), who he overtook literally at the last gasp of the race.
A narrow victory, coming by a handful of fractions of a second over Hayter, while Britain's Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), another great time trial specialist, finished third, four seconds behind the Slovenian phenomenon. Tarling's performance is noteworthy, as he immediately became competitive in the race after the tragic death of his brother.
For Fantacycling fans, the message has been clear from day one: Pogačar has proven to be in extraordinary condition, and his ability to compete even in time trials—a discipline not exactly his natural terrain—makes him an almost obligatory choice for those aiming for the general classification. This performance bodes well for the coming weeks, where his versatility across time trials, climbs, and challenging stages could net him valuable points in every fantasy cycling category.
Wearing the red jersey , Pogačar will start the second stage, a 214.3km stage from Monaco to Manosque scheduled for Sunday, already in a position of psychological strength and in the overall standings that he will hardly want to let slip in the next stages of the race.
ORDER OF ARRIVAL:
1 Pogačar Tadej UAE Team Emirates - XRG 10.57,14
2 Hayter Ethan Soudal Quick-Step 0.00,09
3 Tarling Joshua Netcompany INEOS 0.04,19
4 Thornley Callum Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe 0.05,41
5 Laporte Christophe Team Visma | Lease a Bike 0.06,56
6 Chamberlain Oscar Decathlon CMA CGM Team 0.08,58
7 Bisiaux Léo Decathlon CMA CGM Team 0.09,33
8 Van Aert Wout Team Visma | Lease a Bike 0.09,45
9 Fisher-Black Finn Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe 0.10,79
10 Kluckers Arthur Tudor Pro Cycling Team 0.11,41
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
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