Monday afternoon, the 46th edition of the Vuelta a Burgos started in Vilviestre del Pinar, where the riders had a relatively easy day. Three riders formed the breakaway and rode in front for a large part of the race, but did not survive the final climb Alto del Aguilón. After a small crash by Sepp Kuss, Team Visma | Lease a Bike was alert in the streets of Burgos. Affini sprinted to a creditable fourth place. Pavel Bittner took the day's victory.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike had an almost perfect day. Sports director Marc Reef was satisfied with that. "It was incredibly hot today, about 35 degrees. Our riders were prepared for the heat and handled it well. Ben Tulett grabbed one bonification second in the intermediate sprint and showed his sharpness. In the final, we wanted to try something with Edoardo Affini. Unfortunately, the pace was very high which made it difficult for Edo to grab his moment."

The only blemish in first stage of the five-day Spanish stage race was Sepp Kuss' involvement in a small crash. "Fortunately, he was able to continue quickly and he is fine", says Reef. "It’s been a good day. A number of our riders just returned from altitude training and then a first stage always takes some getting used to. We are here to prepare for the bigger goals for the rest of the cycling season, but that does not mean we do not have any ambition for this race itself. We are riding for the best possible general classification and that is our mission for tomorrow's stage as well. The last kilometre is uphill and that's where we have to be alert”, the sports director concludes.