When I first saw the 2024 Vuelta a España route, it was apparent that this was going to be a race of two distinct parts. The first nine days of searing dry heat in the south of the country and the second part an equally uncomfortable but humid affair that winds its way eastwards from Galicia after the first rest day. It shouldn’t be as hot, but the northern regions are greener for a reason and can be much more unpredictable when it comes to the weather. The road surfaces aren’t always great either, but that’s still to come and there’s a lot that’ll happen before then.
Now that we’ve had the first of the nine summit finishes, Primož Roglič, the pre-race favourite, heads the standings and shows no signs of the injuries which saw him abandon the Tour back in July. The steepest slopes of the Pico Villuercas were exactly the kind of terrain where the Slovenian is so effective and most of the other GC contenders were left with no illusions as to how big a task it’s going to be to stop the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider taking the overall victory. The German team set out their stall early on and weren’t really challenged for control of the stage, which is all the more worrying as the next few mountainous days are likely to be more of the same.
