La Vuelta usually opens with a time-trial and this year is no exception with a rather long and a full team effort required with the Team Time Trial discipline.
La Vuelta a España 2022 starts with 3 days in the Netherlands. The opening course is a 23.3 km effort along the road of Utrecht.
The weather will play a major role with rain and thunderstorms even expected.
Stage 1 predictions:
Noteworthy: Trek- Segafredo: their new concept bike is good but today they will discard all chance of victory to focus on brining their two weakest time trialist but biggest GC contenders, King Kenny and Juan El-patron Lopez home. On another a day, a team including Mads Pedersen, Daan Hoole, Alex Kirsch Antonio Tiberi would have different target.
★☆☆☆☆ Quick Step Alpha Vinyl
Remco Evenepoel has a Vuelta designed to the maximum to his advantage. And it starts with this TTT. Alaphilippe, Cavagna, Devenyns, Serry Van Wilder are solid time trial machine that will work excellently with the belgian phenomenon.
★★☆☆☆ Team UAE Emirates
Brandon Mcnulty, Ivo Olivera and Jan Polanc are all time trial specialist who will combine with two if their main riders, Joao Almeida and Juan Ayuso. This is an impressive team.
★★★☆☆ Team Jumbo Visma
Going in last, how defending champion Primoz Roglic and his very fine tuned team is not the favourite is down to the strength of the other two. Nevertheless Affini, Dennis, Harper and Teunissen are part of some solid machinery!
★★★★☆ Ineos Grenadiers
Can a team of Carapaz, Hayter, Sivakov, Plapp, Turner, Van Baarle, Rodriguez and Geoghehan Hart be beaten. It is very unlikely but there is a particular team that could.
★★★★★ Team Bike Exchange
Could be a bold move but the Australian team has had a revolutionary year in terms of Time Trial performance, kudos to their bikes. Simon Yates has improved so much that he is nearly unbeatable in TT. American Time Trial champion Lawson Craddock, plus powerhouses like Callum Scotson, Michael Hepburn and Luke Durbridge with a track specialist Kelland O’Brien and finally a Kedan Groves. This is a pretty strong team that means business!
Vuelta a Espana 2022 – stage 1 (Utrecht – Utrecht 23.3km TTT) LIVE STREAM: Friday, 19 August, starts at 17:45pm Central Europe, 11:45am U.S. Eastern
