Team DSM-Firmenich wins Vuelta a Espana opening team time-trial in shock result following horrible weather and plenty crashes

Soaking rain, plenty crashes and the final riders racing virtually at night. The opening team time-trial of the Vuelta a Espana was chaotic and it was Team DSM-Firmenich which has taken a shocking win to beat the rest of the competition due to their early start.

The first day at the Vuelta proved incredibly tricky. As soon as the riders started they found rain, which changed intensity throughout the afternoon, affecting different teams in different ways.

Team DSM - Firmenich took an early lead which proved of quality. This didn't seem to be a very dangerous time at first but the rain worsened at around the same time and teams began to struggle afterwards.

Despite the dangerous conditions, which saw plenty crashes from different teams, the times were not neutralized and teams raced for GC. Riders such as Eddie Dunbar and Laurens de Plus, contenders for the overall classification, have went down.

INEOS lost 20 seconds on the line, Jumbo-Visma lost 32 as both suffered from crashes. UAE Team Emirates lost even more, 37 seconds down on the Dutch team. However Movistar and Soudal - Quick-Step had much better times.

Movistar lost less than a second at the line, Enric Mas taking big time gains unexpectedly, but not for the stage win. Soudal - Quick-Step finally arrived at the finish to complete the stage a few seconds behind. The first red jersey of the race will go to Lorenzo Milesi, the under-23 time-trial World Champion.