The 2024 Vuelta a España begins with a 12 km time trial on Saturday, along the Portuguese coast from Lisbon to Oeiras.
There is a risk of strong crosswinds from the Atlantic ocean but the course suits the pure time trallists and will see the overall contenders fighting for every second and the leader’s red jersey.
Race organiser Unipublic has issued the official time trial start list after the final pre-race technical meetings. With the Vuelta a España starting in Portugal, all start times are in local time, and so an hour earlier than the Central European Times often indicated for other European races.
Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) is the first rider off at 16:23 local time, with Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) last off at 19:18.
Pre-race favourite for the time trial Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) starts at 18:32. The young British rider is making his Grand Tour debut but seems best suited to the flat and fast course. His rivals include Van Aert, Victor Campenaerts and perhaps Primož Roglič.
The three-week Vuelta a España starts on Saturday and ends on Sunday September 8 in Madrid.
Time trial experts to watch for include: Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) at 16:35, Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) 16:44, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) 19:08 and the USA’s Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) at 19:17.
The GC contenders to watch for include Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), off at 16:55, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R) 17:01, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) 17:05, Mikel Landa (T Rex Quick-Step) 17:47, Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) 18:10, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) 18:33, Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a bike) 18:34, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) 18:44, Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) João Almeida (UAE TEam Emirates) at 18:55.
2023 winner Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) is off a minute after Almeida at 18:56. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) starts at 19:12, with Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) at 19:14.
Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is last off at 19:18.
Cyclingnews will have full live coverage of the Vuelta a España, with news, analysis and interviews from the finish line thanks to Alasdair Fotheringham.
