Tom Boonen failed to be in contention for the stage win in the first sprint of the Vuelta a Espana as he lost position in the finale. The Belgian lamented the missed opportunity as he had good legs in the finale.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Tom Boonen kept himself near the front going into the final kilometer of 174.4km La Vuelta a España Stage 2 on Sunday, and earned himself an 8th place finish in the bunch sprint finale.

Leadouts for the sprint of a very hot stage didn't get control of the peloton until about 7km to go, as GC teams had kept their riders on the front to protect them up until that point. After 5km to go, the peloton became lined out with a pace of more than 60km/h. 

There was a left turn shortly after the Flamme Rouge that caught a lot of riders out of position. FDJ.fr, however, found themselves ideally placed and were able to launch Nacer Bouhanni for the stage win. John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) was 2nd, and Roberto Ferrari (Lampre-Merida) was 3rd. 

OPQS looks next to a 198.8km medium mountain Stage 3 on Monday, from Cadiz to Arcos de la Frontera. There are three Category 3 climbs in the middle of the parcours, as well as a short uphill finish.

"It was a very hot first day in the Vuelta,# Boone said. "The whole stage was windy but the finale was extremely windy. We tried to stay in front as good as possible. We succeeded.

"Going into the final kilometres, Nikolas [Maes] did a good job. In the final 3k, Serry passed us and he took us to the front. We were in a good position.

"Then there was a bit of a battle going on in the last 1.5k. Froome was still in 5th position and he decided to go back so I had to go 5-6-7 positions further back before the critical corner and that’s where I lost my good position for the sprint. I tried to get back on and I made it just in time for the sprint so I think I was 5th, 6th, 7th or something. But it’s a pity because I had good legs today."