The Slovenian cyclist Primož Roglič started the stage race around the Basque Country the best
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Thirty-one-year-old Roglič managed the route 13.9 km with two climbs in the time of 17:17. The leader of the Jumbo-Visma team defeated the American Brandon McNulty by just two seconds, the Danish Jonas Vingegaard finished third with a gap of 18 seconds. Ten seconds back, last year’s fifth Tour de France winner Pogačar was at the same time as another favorite for the overall championship, Adam Yates from Britain.
“It’s nice to be back, I’m very happy,” Roglič praised the victory. He dislocated his shoulder during the last start in mid-March in Paris-Nice during the fall in the final stage and lost the overall championship. “So far it was only the first stage, we have to stay focused for the next days,” he added, with a view to the remaining five stages of the demanding WorldTour race.
The time trial did not come out to the Czech champion Josef Černý, who took the eighth position in his strong discipline at the March Around Catalonia race. This time, a member of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team finished 45th with a gap of 1:11 to Roglič.
| Cycling stage race Around the Basque Country (WorldTour) – 1st stage (time trial 13.9 km): |
| 1. Roglič (Slovin./Jumbo-Visma) 17:17 |
| 2. McNulty (USA/SAE Team Emirates) -2 |
| 3. Vingegaard (Dán. / Jumbo-Visma) -18 |
| 4. Foss (Nor./Jumbo-Visma) -24 |
| 5. Pogačar (Slovenian / SAE Team Emirates) |
| 6. A. Yates (Brit./Ineos Grenadiers) oba -28 |
| … 45. Black (CZ / Deceuninck-Quick Step) -1: 11 |
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