Team Jumbo-Visma began the Vuelta a España with an exceptional result on Friday.
On the grand tour's opening day, the black-and-yellow formation, including Durangoan Sepp Kuss, rode to victory in the streets of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Robert Gesink was the first rider to pass the finish line and claimed the red leader’s jersey.
Team Jumbo-Visma was the last team to start the 23.3-kilometer team time trial. The eight-rider team immediately developed a high pace, quickly built up a lead and kept growing it.
Gesink was the first to push his wheel over the line. For the first time in his career, the experienced super domestique grabbed the leader’s jersey in a grand tour.
“This is a dream come true,” Gesink said. “We rode as a strong team today. We knew we had started well. Pretty soon, we realized that we were faster than the competition. We had to stay focused because a lot can happen in a team time trial. We gave everything until the finish and crossed the line on Dutch soil with the fastest time. I am so grateful to the guys for the wonderful gesture of letting me cross the line first. This victory is one of my career’s highlights. I’m going to enjoy this very much.”
Gesink and Jumbo-Visma won the stage in 24 minutes and 40 seconds, followed by INEOS Grenadiers (24:53) and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl (24:54) in third out the tour’s 23 squads. Jumbo-Visma’s eight riders share the 24:40 mark to lead the general classification, including Primoz Roglic who is going after his fourth Vuelta title in a row.
“A fantastic scenario,” said Jumbo-Visma’s Head of Performance Mathieu Heijboer. “Along the way, some of our team’s staff members provided us with split times. So it became clear to us pretty quickly that we were fast. Rohan Dennis maintained a very high speed on the first technical part. We were always riding on the limit but never crossed it. The riders set the bar so high that they just had to finish it off. It’s great that they succeeded. This is another highlight for the team. We prepared this stage down to the last detail. It’s great that our plan worked out and led to this great and desired result.”
Stage 2 on Saturday will be 175.1 kilometers, from Hertogenbosch to Utrecht.
