Enrico Battaglin has finished inside the top ten in the first stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol. The Italian sprinted to the ninth place after a long day of racing. Frenchman Thomas Boudat won.

Sports director Addy Engels saw how his team finished a tough stage. "They covered more than three thousand vertical metres in two hundred kilometres. You would almost forget that, because the stage ended in a bunch sprint."

Steven Kruijswijk got through the opening stage well. Tomorrow, the team’s leader will have to work hard. "It is one of the decisive stages, with a heavy arrival uphill", Engels knew. "The team must ensure that Kruijswijk is riding in a good position at the bottom of the hill. After that it will be up to him on the climb."

Pascal Eenkhoorn made his debut for Team LottoNL-Jumbo today. The 21-year-old Dutchman crashed, but didn’t sustain any serious injuries.