BMC wins opening TTT in Valencia

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BMC Racing took control of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana with victory in the opening team time trial. The American squad was one of the last to roll down the ramp at the Playa de la Glea and posted the quickest time of 43:17 over the rolling course.

Team Sky, with defending champion Wout Poels, set off last and came closest to ousting BMC from the top of the standings but fell short by 24 seconds, setting up a good battle for the overall title in the coming days.

The 24-year-old Italian Manuel Senni led BMC over the finish line, giving him the opportunity to wear the leader’s jersey for stage 2.

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For many, it would be the first time that they rode their bike in anger this season and it would not be a gentle easing into the year. In one of the more brutal starts to a stage race, the opening stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana swapped last year’s 16.25 individual test for a challenging, hilly 37.9km team time trial.

There would be several small rises to contend with, including a third category drag in the opening half. For anyone hoping to perform well in the overall classification, a good result on this day would be imperative as it would be difficult to claw back huge gaps in the forthcoming stages.

While there had been snow in the region only a few weeks ago, the riders were blessed with sunshine at least. The action began at 14:30 local time with Team Ukyo the first to roll down the start ramp but it wouldn’t be until FDJ almost an hour later when the contenders for victory would begin to make their mark. The French squad, who have made strides forward in their team time trialling, completed the course in a time of 44:45 before LottoNL-Jumbo came in a few minutes later with a time just 17 seconds quicker.

Behind them, the battle for supremacy was already hotting up as Team Sky and BMC posted the quickest times at the intermediate check, with the former just three seconds up on the latter. World team time trial champions Quick-Step Floors went into the day hoping for a solid result in a discipline they regularly excel at. They would topple LottoNL-Jumbo with a time of 44:06, but they wouldn’t hold onto their lead for very long with BMC smashing their time by almost a minute.

Movistar and Team Sky were still to follow them, but neither had the firepower to hold onto them in the second half of the course. Despite having led BMC at the midway point, Sky was 24 seconds behind them on the line.

Stage 2 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana will be a lumpy ride with five categorised climbs, between Alicante and Denia, where BMC is often based over the winter.

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