Third two years ago in another Vuelta a Castilla y León opening stage, starting from the same city (Ávila) which saw the bunch leaving on day one of the 2015 edition and finishing on another gentle ramp (Valladolid), Enrique Sanz came again close to a second victory to add to his early maiden win in the pro scene (Vuelta a Madrid, 2011). The 25-year-old sprinter from the Movistar Team finished in 2nd place in the village of Alba de Tormes behind Pello Bilbao (CJR), after a close finish from a select group due to the day's three climbs and, most importantly, crosswinds in the final 25km.

After an early, unsuccessful attempt by Castroviejo to make the break of the day, a four-man attempt soon found opposition from the telephone squad, with Anacona and the Spanish time triallist joining Caja Rural and Europcar in the chase until the junction, precisely in the moment when winds started to pick up. Only about thirty riders got into the elite field, including Moreno (8th), Intxausti (13th) and Igor Antón, all climbers set to do interesting things in the two mountain stages coming up.

Despite Sanz coming into the finishing straight faster than Bilbao and even disputing the early results out of nervousness, the Orkoien-born rider ultimately stayed calm and will fight tomorrow to get over the two demanding climbs - though really far away from the finish - in CyL's Portuguese stage: Penhas Douradas and Torre (208km).

"The line is where it is. The best rider won. Congratulations Pello Bilbao. Thanks to the team for the trust and support," Sanz tweeted after the stage.