"It's fantastic to start the season this way", Laporte said. "I really wanted to ride a few races before the classics season starts. I had a good winter and was looking forward to starting my season today. During the race, I felt strong and was able to keep up with the pace of the guys on the climbs. We were in control all day and always had someone from our team in the front group."

The start of the Spanish stage race had barely been given when Victor Campenaerts went on the attack. The 34-year-old Belgian, who is riding his first race of the season in Andalusia, attacked on his own and took ten points for the mountain classification at the top of the Puerto del Madrono. Thanks to that effort, he will race in the mountain jersey tomorrow.

Campenaerts was caught shortly afterwards by the peloton, which split in two halfway through the race. Axel Zingle, Will Smith, Matisse Van Kerckhove, Laporte, and Campenaerts were alert and remained at the front of the group. Zingle broke away from the group with nine other riders, but eventually everything came back together.

"In the final, the team did an excellent job of bringing me to the front", Laporte continued. "In the sprint, I got to the front a little too early, so I decided to slow down for a moment. I followed the wheel of the riders in front of me and started the sprint at about 200 meters. I went full to the finish line and saw that I had enough of a lead. It's great to be able to finish the work of my teammates like this."

With his victory in Andalusia, Laporte seems to have finally put a difficult period behind him. The Frenchman struggled with a persistent virus that kept him sidelined for almost the entire past season. On his return in October last year, he immediately made his mark by winning the Tour of Holland. Now, just under four months later, he is back on the top step of the podium.

"This is a very good start", sports director Marc Reef said. "Victor jumped away immediately after the start and created a good situation for us. After he got caught, the attacks followed one after another. Our men were very sharp and Christophe in particular showed that he is in good shape. In the end, everything came together again and we took control of the peloton.”

"In the last kilometer, Axel braked a little too early, causing Christophe to take the lead too soon. He had to hold back for a moment, but then you can see that his instincts are excellent and he starts the sprint at the right moment. It's great that he's taken a victory right away after a difficult year. He really deserves it." Laporte gave Team Visma | Lease a Bike its second victory of the season.