LISBON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brandon McNulty of the UAE Team Emirates is the first leader of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) cycling race after the opening day time trial which began in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
American champion McNulty completed the 12-kilometer, almost completely flat, stage between Lisbon and Oeiras along the coast, in 12 minutes and 35 seconds.
He was two seconds faster than Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) with the Czech rider impressing to finish a second ahead of Olympic time-trial bronze medal winner, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) was the best placed of the overall favorites, with a time of 12.52, while last year's winner Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) ended the stage in 62nd place - 53 seconds behind the leader.
Sunday sees the race remain in Portugal with what promises to be a fast second stage between Cascais and Ourem, which is over rolling countryside with fourth-category climbs in the opening and closing kilometers. ■
