Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r) didn't get the Vuelta a Espana off to the best start as he lost 25-30 seconds to his main rivals in the first mountain stage of the race after having spent a bit of time on the front in the finale.

"Like often in the Grand Tours, the first day was nervous," sports director Julien Jurdie said. "There was stress in the bunch with a lot of crashes, including one 30 kilometers from the finish.

"We had an average day. Matteo [Montaguti] spent the stage in the break. We hoped that there would be an opportunity but that was not the case. Pozzo was hampered by a crash, but he did not go down. He had no great feelings. He missed some calmness on the final climb and he paid for that in the last kilometer. He lost thirty seconds to the big favorites but there is no drama yet."