Janez Brajkovic will wear the leader's red jersey as the Vuelta a España continues tomorrow after his Astana, somewhat surprisingly, win the opening TTT stage on Saturday.

"We did a recce tour of the course earlier in the day in pretty special conditions because the course was not closed to traffic," Brajkovic explained. "But we understood that it was a good course for us. We had to remain united to hope for a great result. I was convinced we’d do well but I didn’t think we’d win. Some teams looked superior to ours. It’s a big surprise to have won and to wear the red jersey."

Seven years ago, Brajkovic also led the Vuelta and it was also in Galicia.

"This is a coincidence but I’m very happy to hear that. All I can say is that I’ve suffered a lot to get this result. It’s been painful during the whole stage because we were riding very fast. But the pain was necessary for winning."

When quizzed about his objectives for the Vuelta, Brajkovic stressed that his loyalties are with his designated team leader Vincenzo Nibali.

"I’m here for the team and we have an undisputed leader, Vincenzo Nibali, who is also the number 1 favourite for the overall victory. I’ll work for him. We’ll see on Sunday if I’m still the race leader but that’s not the most important. It’s all for Vincenzo."

Speaking of his future, Brajkovic said it remains in the balance as, see,imgly, the Astana team has no intentions of extending his contract.

"I don’t know because I’m left with no contract for next year. Astana won’t keep me."