“That 0.09 happened when I passed my apartment” – Tadej Pogacar credits Monaco home advantage for razor-thin Vuelta win

Tadej Pogacar believes riding past his apartment helped him find the 0.09 seconds that separated him from Ethan Hayter on the opening stage of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana. The UAE Team Emirates – XRG leader edged the British rider in the Monaco time trial to claim the first red jersey on his return to the race.

Pogacar completed the technical 9.4-kilometre course in 10:57.14, with Hayter finishing in 10:57.23. Josh Tarling took third place at four seconds, while Callum Thornley and Christophe Laporte completed the top five.

The course began outside the Monte Carlo Casino and followed the principality’s narrow roads towards the finish on Boulevard Albert I, with several technical corners placing a premium on local knowledge.

For Pogacar, who lives in Monaco, one particularly familiar stretch stood out as the place where he believes the stage may have been won. “That 0.09 happened when I passed my apartment because that was the most technical part, and I walk and cycle there every day,” Pogacar explained in his post-stage flash interview. “Even though it is completely different in the race, still, you race on your home roads, and you know it super well, so that helped me today.”

Hayter had already produced the quickest ride at the intermediate checkpoint before becoming the first rider to break 11 minutes at the finish. His performance put him ahead of Tarling and Thornley, who had both held the leading time earlier in the afternoon, but Pogacar recovered ground through the closing section to win by nine-hundredths of a second.

The official general classification credits Pogacar and Hayter with the same overall time of 10:57, with the more precise time-trial result separating them in the stage standings and deciding the first red jersey.

The victory came in Pogacar’s first Vuelta appearance since 2019, when he won three stages and finished third overall on his Grand Tour debut. Seven years later, he returned as a five-time Tour de France winner seeking the only Grand Tour missing from his collection. Even so, the Slovenian admitted he had not expected to start his challenge by winning the opening time trial.

“It’s a weird feeling to win the time trial on the first stage and by such a small margin,” he said. “I was not expecting it. I’m really happy. This red is a really nice colour.”

The result also gave Pogacar an early advantage over several of the riders expected to challenge him for the overall title.

Four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic finished 22 seconds behind, while Carlos Rodriguez conceded 27 seconds, Mattias Skjelmose lost 29 seconds and Richard Carapaz finished 33 seconds down. UAE teammate Joao Almeida also made a solid start, completing the course 18 seconds behind Pogacar.

Pogacar’s immediate challenge will be defending his advantage on the 214.3-kilometre second stage from Monaco to Manosque. Hayter starts the day on the same overall time, with Tarling four seconds behind, Thornley at five seconds and Laporte at six. Wout van Aert is also within striking distance at nine seconds, while Mads Pedersen trails by 16.

Asked whether he could keep the red jersey from the opening stage all the way to the final finish in Granada, Pogacar acknowledged that the classification could change almost immediately. “It’s going to be tough. Tomorrow, I think, there are some guys who are close in time and can do a breakaway or sprint for bonus seconds, so it’s going to be a fight for the red jersey and we can see some shuffle in the GC tomorrow.”

With several riders separated by only a handful of seconds, the time bonuses on offer in Manosque could determine whether Pogacar remains in red after the first road stage.