A puncture by Jonas Vingegaard put an end to the Jumbo-Visma team's chances: "We didn't expect so much rain, but it's the same for everyone"
Cycling
Sepp Kuss spoke to the media after the tricky opening team time trial of the Vuelta a Espana 2023. Jumbo-Visma's American climber explained that a puncture by Jonas Vingegaard caused them to lose valuable time, but that they were still happy with the performance and that the best thing to do, given the route, was not to take any risks.
"We didn't expect so much rain, but it's the same for everyone, it would have been more fun with a dry course, but we saved the day very well, a pity about the problem with Jonas, until that we had everything calm," he said in a post-race interview. "We lost half a minute, which is nothing for the first stage. With such a complicated weather it was better to take it easy in the corners and not to take risks".
Jumbo-Visma ended up losing 32 seconds to DSM and Movistar, the teams that set the fastest time. That means Roglic and Vingegaard lose that time to Enric Mas and 26 seconds to Remco Evenpoel, as Soudal Quick-Step completed a slightly better time trial by not encountering any incidents. The loss to Geraint Thomas' INEOS Grenadiers was 12 seconds.
These are not very significant differences in the bigger picture but taking into account that they were the main favourites to win today's stage, it comes as a bad first day for the Dutch team which is now on the back foot.
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Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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