Lisbon was the setting for the start of the 79th Vuelta a España. The final Grand Tour of the season started with a 12-kilometre individual time trial along the coastline of the Portuguese capital.  

It was not long before the first top time at the finish line was set. Affini, deliberately starting early, managed to set a sharp time immediately. The 28-year-old Italian time trial specialist from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was in the hot seat for a long time. He eventually finished fifth in the stage, eight seconds behind McNulty. “The course was not technical, but the crosswind played a big role today. At times it was difficult to keep the bike in position. Personally, I am very satisfied with my performance today.”  

Meanwhile, defending champion Sepp Kuss was also doing his race against the clock. The 29-year-old American - who won the Vuelta a Burgos last week - eventually lost 53 seconds to his compatriot. “A time trial as the opener of a Grand Tour is always painful”, Kuss said afterwards. “This was a good warm-up for what's ahead in the coming weeks. I went full. I can be happy with the time trial I rode.”  

The last rider to leave the start ramp was Wout van Aert. The Olympic time trial bronze medal winner managed to set the fastest time at the intermediate point, but towards the end the Belgian lost a few seconds. “I'm not completely satisfied. I felt good, but not super. It started to hurt very quickly, after which it was a long way to the finish. I finished third, I can build on that in the coming days.”