The riders started their race in northern Spain warmly dressed. Eight leaders stayed in front for a long time but were caught by the peloton, with the Jumbo-Visma riders in front and about thirty kilometres to go. Snow, rain and sun alternated during the stage. On the final climb of the day, the riders were treated to snow once again. "Stopping was the only right decision”, sports director Frans Maassen said.

"When the race was neutralized, I immediately went to the jury car and asked for clarification”, Maassen continued. "The riders were getting hypothermic. We were completely surprised by the temperature, the cold and the wet. In consultation with the jury and the other teams, it was decided that continuing was not an option. After that, the jury indicated that the stage was cancelled."

"We still had a lot of climbing before the descent to the finish. That would have been irresponsible under the circumstances. It was a tough decision, but not a single rider or team disagreed with the decision”, Maassen said.

The jury has announced that there will be no general classification following the cancellation of the first stage. Jonas Vingegaard won the intermediate sprint and picked up three bonification seconds. "As the riders have covered 160 kilometres today, the jury has decided that these seconds will only be added to the classification tomorrow, after the second stage”, the sports director of the Dutch cycling team said.