Vuelta a España 2023 – Stage 1 preview

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Stage 1: Barcelona to Barcelona

Date: August 26

Distance: 14.8km

Stage type: Team time trial

For the second year in a row and the third time in five years, the Vuelta a España will kick off with a team time trial. Following tests in Torrevieja in 2019 and Utrecht last year, the 2023 race will begin with a TTT in Barcelona.

The 14.8km stage isn't purely flat, featuring minimal elevation as the 22 teams race along the city streets, starting at the beachfront and taking on a succession of largely right-angle bends on a technical course before finishing in front of the famous fountain at Montjuïc Park.

With the stage length measuring in at 9km shorter than the 23km TTT from stage 1 last year, time gaps should be smaller than the two minutes which separated the squads in Utrecht. At the top of the standings, expect the top teams to be separated by mere seconds as the first red jersey of the race is awarded.