As it happened: Delight for McNulty and gaps between GC men in Vuelta a España opener

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All the action as the Spanish Grand Tour got underway with a short time trial in Lisbon

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Hello there and welcome along to the Vuelta a España! The third and final Grand Tour of the men's season is upon us and I hope you've kept something in reserve after the heady summer of Tour de France and Olympics action. 21 stages lie ahead of us and we'll be covering them all live right here, starting with this opening 12km time trial in Lisbon. 

This Vuelta will kick off at 16:23 local time when the veteran Luís Ángel Maté of Euskaltel-Euskadi rolls down the start ramp. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) will be the last rider down that ramp at 19:18. 

Anyway, for the full running order, here's the link you need. 

You can't start a Vuelta without reading some Alasdair Fotheringham. He has many laps of Spain under his belt by now and he's on the ground in Lisbon once again for us this time around. Here's his scene-setter. 

As Alasdair notes, the absence of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel makes this an open affair, especially when you consider the next best GC rider in the world, Roglič, comes in with a back injury. Then again, the Slovenian knows how to win a Vuelta, even more so after a setback. 

The overall complexion will become clear over time, but what about today? 

Just over 10 minutes to go now until the 2024 Vuelta officially gets underway

The Vuelta is underway

This is a good start ramp - unusually long and gentle. There's no backdrop or awning to the start area, just an open stage. It's a little subdued, to be fair, but we do have some firework sparklers every time a rider goes off – not sure of the technical term but you might find them attached to a bottle of overpriced vodka in the 'VIP' area of a terrible nightclub. 

There's one 90-degree right-hand bend 200 metres into this, but from there it's straight down the coast, with some gentle turns but no real cornering to be done. It's not a long test that will really suit the specialists, but it's very much a power rider's course.

Enric Mas (Movistar) starts his Vuelta, as one of the early GC starters. He has been runner-up here three times. He didn't have a good Tour but has experience doubling up and on his day can be up there with the best over three weeks.

Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-DSTNY) gets going as a potential early benchmark. He sidelined his time trialling for a while but has definitely leaned back into it and was fifth in the first TT at the Tour de France. 

First finisher

Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) is on the start ramp. A very good time triallist on his day, a very good climber, too. He hasn't yet developed into a real GC man, and that surely won't be the case at this Vuelta, given he only recently returned from the life-threatening injuries he suffered in that Basque Country crash in April. Good to see him back here. 

We mentioned the wind earlier on, and while it is blowing from inland, it is very strong indeed. The course is quite well sheltered but there are regular occasions where it funnels through gaps in the buildings, creating a gusty scenario which is making things a little wobbly for the riders out there. 

Enric Mas comes to the finish and has the best time so far, with 13:14. That's five seconds quicker than Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), another former Vuelta podium finisher. 

Irish talent Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) finishes a second of Mas' pace. 

Campenaerts with an early benchmark

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) gets going after his breakthrough fifth-place finish at the Giro d'Italia. We're about to see a Grand Tour champion, too, in Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who had a strong end to the Tour de France and has the quality to calibre for the overall victory here.

Danny Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is underway. The Colombian was the runner-up at the Giro but could find himself playing second fiddle to Roglič here. Ben O'Connor, who had a mixed Giro finishing in fourth, also gets going with hopes of the podium.

Edoardo Affini into the lead

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) gets underway – a sensational 20-year-old neo-pro who makes his three-week debut here. No pressure, but plenty of excitement over what he might do at this Vuelta. 

Carapaz stops the clock 32 seconds down on Affine but one second down on Mas, who's the de facto provisional leader from a GC perspective.

Here's a shot of Affini, our leader at this moment in time. 

O'Connor comes home, and he's 44 seconds down (13 seconds down on Mas). Decent in a TT on his day, this one was perhaps a little short for his liking, but the gaps will be fairly small between the GC men. 

Tiberi has gone 19 seconds slower than the leader, so is arguably the top-placed of the GC men. It still feels fair not to include Vine but he's still second at 16 seconds.

Del Toro comes to the line, 34 seconds down on the leader, so just slower than Mas and Carapaz. We've also had Tiberi going in at 25 seconds down. We'll put together a provisional GC-man leaderboard.

Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) gets underway. Plenty of people talking about him as a GC threat, let's see over three weeks. Either way he has a very good short TT on him. 

Skjelmose goes 14 seconds down on Affini. It's fourth place at the moment, given French champ Bruno Armirail has just gone into second and Florian Lipowitz, a up-and-coming GC prospect, third. 

Landa gets underway now. He had a great Tour de France, working for Evenepoel but even taking fifth place for himself. What heights can he hit at this Vuelta?

Here's a bit of a GC rider leaderboard so far (casting the net far and wide on this one). We've had a bit of a dearth of GC men going off recently but we've got a few more on the course now. 

Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) goes 46 seconds down on Affini, as does AG2R's plan-B, Felix Gall. 

Landa has gone 57 seconds slower than the leader. He occasionally produces a decent TT. This wasn't one of them. 

Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) gets underway. He's had his bad days and bad luck but wants to be a Grand Tour podium rider and will this be the race where he puts that proper run together?

I realise I've been calling them Soudal-QuickStep so far. That's wrong. They are of course T-Rex-QuickStep. More on that here.

Arensman comes to the finish and he is ninth so far, 21 seconds down on Affini.

Affini's time is standing firm for now, but wbe're five minutes away from Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), the European champion and the big favourite for today's victory. 

Tarling is underway. The European champion sets off after the disappointment of missing out on an Olympic medal that, without a puncture, surely would have been his. The wind appears to have picked up since Affini started but everyone's expecting the young Welshman to head into the lead here.

Just after Tarling, we have another big-name Brit, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), who supported Pogačar to Tour de France glory last month and now enjoys his own leadership opportunities here. 

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) is off now. He hasn't set the world alight since his controversial switch from Bora-Hansgrohe last winter.

Tarling comes to our intermediate checkpoint after 7.3km, and he's heading into the lead. He's three seconds up on Affine's time so far. 

Tarling is getting buffeted around by this wind.

Yates is 20 seconds down on Tarling at that same checkpoint, which ought to put him into the upper reaches of the GC rider times. 

Into the final kilometre for Tarling and it's going to be tight.

Tarling misses it!

Even the clock seemed confused for a moment there, but it flashes red and gives Tarling in second place. Affini breathes a huge, and somewhat surprised, sigh of relief in the hotseat. 

Here comes Yates now, and he's 26 seconds down on Affini, which is a very decent start for the lightweight Brit. 

Tarling was 0.28 seconds slower than Affini. Agonising margins. 

With Tarling missing out, Affini's time looks even better - the winning time, perhaps? Stefan Küng is coming up later, Roglič too, and Wout van Aert rounds us out, so it'll still be a nervy wait.

A nice period of GC action coming up now...

Here was Tarling crossing the line.

Rodríguez rolls down the ramp - he didn't have the Tour de France he wanted to and now does a double Grand Tour season for the first time in his career. He's followed by Almeida, who is certainly among the strongest TT riders of the GC men.

And now for our defending champion, Kuss, who won an extraordinary edition last year. He became the leader almost by accident 12 months ago, and while he was able to assert himself over and above his team leaders - who at times didn't play ball - it's a different story coming into the race in a leadership role. 

Kuss, with his lightweight frame, is already getting swung around by this wind. 

We're not getting too many minute-man catches today but Mathias Vacek (Lidl-T) has just caught Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R) and he's gone fastest at the checkpoint! 2 seconds up on Tarling. Watch this space...

Vacek comes to the finish now, and he's going to do it!

Vacek into the lead

Carlos Rodríguez hits the line 44 seconds down, slightly lower than the GC average.

Almeida, though, has made a strong start. 5th so far, 17 seconds down on the leader. That's the best time from a GC rider so far.

And now for Kuss, who is 51 seconds down on the leader, and 34 seconds down on Almeida. No disaster, but not a great start. 

Primož Roglič down the ramp

Tao Geoghegan Hart is next to start. He has had a disrupted start to life at Lidl-Trek but this is a former Grand Tour champion. 

Vacek at the finish says he was around a minute faster than his pacing plan. He seems as surprised as the rest of us. 

Brandon McNulty gets going now. Another member of this strong UAE squad, and arguably their best TT rider. He's in the stars and strips of US champion, and comes into this after placing fifth in the Olympics TT.

Wout van Aert sets off as the final rider!

No double-disc wheel set-up for Van Aert today, as caught the headlines at the Olympics. They did toy with the idea, but the wind today was deemed too strong, and having seen the way some of these riders have been blown about the road, that seems like the only logical decision.

Roglič is 1 seconds down on Vacek at the checkpoint, so he won't be winning today but is holding his own.

Van Aert is on one! He's level with Vacek at the moment... coming to the checkpoint now

Roglič hits the line, and he goes into sixth place, 15 seconds down on Vacek but that's the fastest of the GC men so far. 

Van Aert at the checkpoint is just under a second up on Vacek. This is going to be an exciting finish. McNulty is well in the mix as well.

Geoghegan Hart hits the line. 29 seconds conceded to his teammate Vacek but that's certainly among the better GC times.

McNulty was two seconds down on Van Aert at that 7.3km checkpoint. He's coming into the final 90 seconds of his ride now.

McNulty comes towards the line...

It's green, and it's the lead for the US champ! 2 seconds up on Vacek.

But we wait to see Van Aert come home - what a finale this is!

Into the final kilometre for Van Aert. He was two seconds up 5km ago.

It's going to be very close this.

Van Aert misses out! By three seconds in the end

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) wins stage 1 of the Vuelta a España!

Brilliant finish, as McNulty finds five seconds on Van Aert in the final 5km of that time trial. A huge moment for him, as he pulls on the first red jersey as the first overall leader of this Vuelta. He was flying to the finish and Van Aert must have been hanging on. He finished a second shy of Vacek, so takes third place on the day.

Results

Let's hear from the day's winner, Brandon McNulty

And this is what Van Aert had to say.

This was McNulty en route to glory

A little more reaction now, with some striking stuff from Tarling, speaking to Eurosport. 

Here's how the GC riders stacked up

The early analysis reads the Roglič looks in pretty good knick after all, UAE have strength in depth + options, and that defending champion Sepp Kuss has left himself on the back foot, with his teammate Uijtdebroeks not faring much better either. Ben O'Connor will be another in the disappointed camp.

Surprise of the day goes to Mathias Vacek.

The first red jersey of the 2024 Vuelta 

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