DSM-Firmenich Secures Unexpected Victory in Opening Team Trial at Vuelta a Espana
Dutch Team DSM-Firmenich Surprises with Victory in Torrential Rain at Vuelta a Espana
The Dutch cycling team DSM-Firmenich defied the odds and conquered the relentless rain to secure an unexpected win in the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana.
It was Italian rider Lorenzo Milesi who claimed the opening red jersey as he crossed the finish line ahead of his teammates in the 14.8km team time trial held in Barcelona.
The race faced treacherous conditions due to a fierce thunderstorm, resulting in numerous crashes that added to its unpredictability.
Last year’s Vuelta champion Remco Evenepoel and his Soudal-QuickStep companions finished fourth, unable to match their previous success on this occasion.
DSM took off strongly as one of the early starters, setting an impressive benchmark time of 17 minutes and 30 seconds. However, they were narrowly edged out by penultimate starters Movistar Team who finished just fractions of a second behind them.
Movistar grabbed second place while EF Education-Easypost settled for third place, trailing six seconds behind their Spanish rivals.
Jumbo-Visma, comprising star cyclists Primoz Roglic (three-time Vuelta winner) and Jonas Vingegaard (back-to-back Tour de France champion), struggled throughout the stage and ended up finishing 11th with a significant gap of 32 seconds from the leading team’s time.
Ineos Grenadiers, led by former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, secured the eighth spot but trailed behind the leaders by a margin of 20 seconds.
“We certainly didn’t expect this outcome, but it’s an incredible feeling,” expressed Milesi, who had previously won the under-23 individual time trial at the World Championships in Glasgow. In an interview with Spanish television, he shared his emotional experience while watching the rest of the race after their victory. “We took some risks and executed our plan flawlessly. I’m extremely happy with how things turned out.”
The second stage on Sunday will cover a total distance of 182km from Mataro to Barcelona’s Montjuic Castle.
Vuelta a Espana is considered to be one of cycling’s Grand Tours and serves as the final major tour of the season before concluding in Madrid on September 17th.