Results Gran Camiño 2026 Stage 1 | Julius Johansen storms to victory for UAE as Ivan Romeo’s hopes end in puncture drama

The opening stage of O Gran Camiño 2026 delivered late drama in A Coruna, as Julius Johansen produced a stunning ride to win the 15km individual time trial and take the first leader’s jersey.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider overturned a tightly contested leaderboard in the closing minutes, stopping the clock at 17:43 to decisively beat the field.

For much of the afternoon, the benchmark time had changed hands repeatedly. Early on, Abel Balderstone set the first serious target before Jørgen Nordhagen raised the level with a strong ride. That was then surpassed by Nelson Oliveira, before compatriot Rafael Reis edged into the lead in what had become a closely fought battle at the top.

But everything changed with the final wave of riders. Johansen was already fastest through the intermediate checkpoints and carried that speed all the way to the line, taking the stage win by over 15 seconds. Reis held on for second place at +15 seconds, with Oliveira just behind at +16 seconds, while Nordhagen’s earlier effort was enough for fourth.

Among the overall contenders, Adam Yates delivered a solid opening ride to finish sixth at 40 seconds down. On a course where time gaps were always likely to be limited, it is a result that keeps him well placed heading into the remaining stages.

There was frustration for Ivan Romeo, who had shown strong early pace and set the fastest time at the first intermediate checkpoint. However, a puncture midway through the course ended his chances of fighting for the stage win, and he ultimately finished outside the top 10 after losing significant time.

Mechanical issues also affected other riders, with Davide Formolo encountering problems on the same section of road.

With the first gaps now established, O Gran Camiño heads into Stage 2 with Johansen in yellow and the general classification already taking shape after a dramatic opening day.