PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2024 stage 1 - Tarling, van Aert, Roglic and UAE fight for the first red jersey of the race

Stage 1 of the Vuelta a España will be a short flat individual time-trial where the first red jersey will be given. It will be an exciting opening day of racing in Lisbon which will also open up the GC fight.

The race starts off with an 11-kilometer long time-trial in the capital of Portugal: Lisbon. It is a completely flat and straightforward time-trial by the coast where the specialists can take advantage of their specialty to take the first red jersey, whilst the GC fight begins right on day 1.

11.8 kilometers exactly, starting in Belém in the heart of the capital. Big crowds are expected to fill the entire route but despite the urban start, we will still get to witness some nice landscapes throughout the effort where there should be no braking, no cornering, just a flat out effort from start to finish without rest.

The Weather

Very strong northern wind. However how much this will affect the riders doesn't have a certain answer. The wind from that direction will be rather covered, but still the riders could feel some crosswind throughout the time-trial.

The Favourites

Joshua Tarling - The Briton is very strong against the clock, and in my opinion the main favourite for the win. INEOS have a shot at the red jersey here as he loves the flat time-trials and is extremely powerful. He would've finished second to Remco Evenepoel at the Olympics if it wasn't for his mechanical, and he lost only 2 seconds to the one rider he will have to face in Lisbon.

Wout van Aert - That rider is van Aert, who was third in Paris. The Belgian is not a pure time-trialists but is such a talented rider that against the clock that also translates. After that medal there is an argument for van Aert to be here as a victory contender (he could jump to the lead in the following days' sprints). The Visma rider will be interesting to follow here.

UAE - A danger team, for the GC but also for this stage. Adam Yates will be defending himself, João Almeida will be attacking his rivals and try to take time, but for the stage win they have two wildcards: Brandon McNulty who won the ITT at the UAE Tour which was almost exactly the same as this Saturday's effort, and Jay Vine who was second on that day. The Australian only returned from a serious injury at the Vuelta a Burgos but there he won the time-trial in impressive fashion and will also be a dangerous rider in search of the first red jersey.

When it comes to the GC fight these 12 kilometers won't be decisive for the outcome of the race but they aren't irrelevant. You can gain some seconds on rivals but above all go into the mountains already ahead of the competition. There are a few riders that can definitely make an impact, besides the UAE riders... Primoz Roglic, Daniel Martínez, Antonio Tiberi, Mattias Skjelmose, Thymen Arensman and Ben O'Connor should be among the fastest.

A few non-GC riders should also put in strong performances and fight for a good result, perhaps even a victor «y in the right circumstances. Stefan Küng, Bruno Armirail, Nelson Oliveira, Victor Campenaerts, Efoardo Affini, Mathias Vacek, Mattia Cattaneo and Oier Lazkano are certainly among those figures.

Prediction 2024 Vuelta a España 2024 stage 1:

*** Joshua Tarling, Wout van Aert
** Jay Vine, Bandon McNulty, Stefan Küng
* Antonio Tiberi, Bruno Armirail, Nelson Oliveira, Primoz Roglic, Victor Campenaerts, Edoardo Affini, Mathias Vacek, João Almeida

Pick: Joshua Tarling