Vuelta a Espana: Monster rider of the day
(Cyclingnews.com)

There were few realistic options to choose from but anyone of the Astana riders could have been selected given that this was a team effort. However, Miguel Angel Lopez is the Cyclingnews Monster rider of the day for the simple reason that he crossed line first and pulled on the leader`s jersey at the end of the team trial on stage 1 of the Vuelta a Espana. Success in Grand Tour racing is based upon execution and there was little to fault Astana over their ride in the 13.4km course. Fastest at the first time check by a massive six seconds and then dominant all the way to the line, they made use of their significant horsepower with arguably a stronger team than they had at the Tour de France in July. If execution of performance is important then so too is momentum. This is only stage 1 and the time gaps to the majority of their rivals - Jumbo-Visma aside - are relatively small but the confidence gained from an early win will filter through the Astana ranks tonight and last for a number of days.ADVERTISEMENT For Lopez, who led the team home and looked comfortable doing so, this is an important marker. He now has a buffer on several key rivals and the two-time podium finisher in Grand Tours clearly has the form to contend the leader`s jersey all the way to Madrid. The question at the dinner table this evening will be whether Astana decide to relinquish the leader`s jersey over the next few days. Sunday`s stage should end in a sprint but there are key stages dotted inside the first week that will have a detrimental effect on the GC battle in this year`s race. Analysis: It`s early days at the Vuelta but already we`ve been provided with a possible glimpse of what`s to come. Astana and Sunweb will come away from the stage with their confidence boosted but for the likes of Movistar, Mitchelton and especially Jumbo Visma this was a bruising encounter. Astana and Lopez looked untouchable with the Colombian certainly one of the main favourites for the race. The race h ...