Key Takeaways: Vuelta a España Stage 1

Breaking down how a scorching-fast opening time trial was won & how it has already shaped the GC picture

Brandon McNulty won the opening stage of the 2024 Vuelta a España after a scorching individual time trial performance that has him in the early race lead and looking like he has a point to prove following a summer spent in exile. Behind, Lidl-Trek’s 22-year-old sensation, Mathias Vacek, racked up a surprise second place, while Wout van Aert, who now hasn’t won a Grand Tour stage in over two years, collected yet another disappointing podium finish.

Further back, Primož Roglič, riding to 8th place 16 seconds in arrears of McNulty, struck the first blow of the GC battle after an impressive ride that saw him take time on every other major GC contender and signal his form and health were ready after crashing out of the Tour de France earlier in the summer. While nearly every other hopeful for the overall title did well to limit their losses to Roglič, defending champion Sepp Kuss surrendered precious time after struggling to match the absurdly fast pace on the flat and wind-exposed course.

Stage (and GC) Top Five:
1) Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) +0
2) Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) +2
3) Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) +3
4) Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) +6
5) Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) +8

Select GC Contenders Gained(+)/Lost(-) On the Stage:
Primož Roglič +0
João Almeida -2
Mattias Skjelmose -5
Tao Geoghegan Hart -14
Daniel Martínez -16
Adam Yates -17
Enric Mas -22
Richard Carapaz -23
Sepp Kuss -36
Mikel Landa -1’05

Stage 1 Race Notebook

Josh Tarling:
8.3km: After just a few kilometers, Ineos’ Josh Tarling, the extremely heavy pre-race favorite despite being just 20 years old, looks visibly bogged down by his massive gearing choice, which features a 68T front chainring (multiple Ineos riders have looked over-geared at points in TTs this season).

Finish: Tarling comes over the finish line behind Visma’s Edoardo Affini (with the clock incorrectly showing him ahead), and, with multiple major time trialists still to come, has clearly served up a disappointing effort.

Mathias Vacek
Finish: Lidl-Trek’s 22-year-old breakout star, slightly aided by a messy course with a passed rider, moto, and a few lurking team cars, comes through with an extremely fast time, taking the lead by five seconds on Affini.

Primož Roglič
4.6km (Intermediate Check): The heavy pre-race overall favorite shows that any form or health concerns were ill-placed when he starts out incredibly strong, coming through the intermediate check 13 seconds behind Vacek, which puts him top of the table in terms of GC contenders.

50m: Coming into the finishing straight, we can see just how much Roglič’s absurdly aerodynamic position has helped him hold a staggering 61km/hr (38mph) over the second half of the course despite being significantly lighter than the other top stage contenders.

Finish: Roglič crosses the finish line just 14 seconds down on Vacek, which, while slightly anti-climatic, means he essentially aces the first test on his quest toward a fourth overall Vuelta victory.

Wout van Aert
4.6km (Intermediate Check): The stage’s other top favorite comes through the intermediate sprint point a second ahead of Vacek, which puts him on pace to win the stage and take the race lead.

Finish: However, after giving back a second to Vacek over the last five kilometers and five to McNulty, Van Aert comes over the finish line for yet another disappointing podium finish.

Brandon McNulty
4.6km: UAE’s eventual stage winner comes through the intermediate sprint point nearly three full seconds down on Van Aert.

50m: However, with a flying final five kilometers, partly due to an extremely aerodynamic position (even if it has a little more hand/head space than Roglič), McNulty begins to pull within sight of this stage win.

Finish: The American crosses the finish line two seconds ahead of Vacek and three ahead of Van Aert, which means he pulled back a second per kilometer on Van Aert in the final, high-speed section of the course (where he averaged 61.2km/hr).

Three Key Takeaways

1) For Better or Worse, Brandon McNulty’s Win Sets the Tone For UAE’s Vuelta: Despite an opening time trial that didn’t suit their extremely lightweight GC leaders, UAE took the win and race lead after Brandon McNulty crossed the finish line to bring the team’s 2024 win total up to a staggering 65 (nearly double the second place team Lidl-Trek’s 33) and highlight the team’s collective strength and depth.