Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) got his title defence in the Vuelta a Andalucia off to the best possible start when he took a dominant win in the 7.3km prologue that kicked off the event. He beat Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano) by a massive 7 seconds while the many time trial specialists from Sky dominated the top 10, with Vasil Kiryienka being their best rider in 4th.

One year ago Alejandro Valverde proved right from the beginning of the Vuelta a Andalucia that he would be very hard to beat when he took the win in the opening prologue. Today he repeated that he feat when he was fastest on the technical 7.3km course in Almeria that was the scene of the opener of the 2014 edition of the race.

Valverde covered the course in 8.22, putting a massive 7 seconds into Tom Dumoulin who had enjoyed a brief stint in the hot seat. The defending champion excelled on the technical course that featured numerous corners and roundabouts, riding a very aggressive and determined race.

Ion Izagirre made it a very good day for Movistar as the new signing finished in 3rd, putting two riders from the Spanish team on the podium. With Javi Moreno also riding into the top 10, the squad appears to be in a determined mood for one of the few remaining Spanish stage races.

Prior to the race, Team Sky was expected to dominate the stage as the British team fielded several TT specialists. Almost all of their riders ended near the top but the team failed to take the win.

Vasil Kiryienka confirmed his good early-season condition by finishing 4th as the best Sky rider while the three pre-race favourites from the team, Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins and Richie Porte, could only manage 5th, 6th and 8th respectively.

Valverde now heads into tomorrow's first stage with a comfortable lead but he faces a tough test right from the beginning of his jersey defence. The 186.8km from Velez Malaga to Jaen are up or down all day and finishes with a short 2.4km climb to the finish whose average gradient of 6.7% makes it a perfect fit for an explosive rider like Valverde

A technical opener

As it has been the case in the past few editions, the Vuelta a Andalucia opened with a prologue, with the riders tackling a 7.3km course in Almeria. While completely flat, the route was highly technical and expected to suit sprinters and explosive riders just as much as time trialists.

The first rider down the ramp was Isaac Carbonell (Ecuador) but it was Emiel Dolfsma (Rabobank) who was the first rider to enjoy some time in the hot seat. However, he was quickly knocked off by Stijn Steels (Topsport Vlaanderen) who was the first rider to go under the 9-minute mark.

Best time for Sky

Sky showed their intentions when Peter Kennaugh set a time of 8.46 while Fabio Silvestre (Trek) moved into 2nd with 8.51. Imanol Erviti (Movistar) showed that Movistar were up for the challenge when he finished in a time that was just 2 seconds slower than Kennaugh's.

Kennaugh led the race for some time until his teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen went 5 seconds faster than the Brit. Tanel Kangert (Astana) was just 2 seconds off that mark but the Sky-Movistar battle continued when local rider Javier Moreno was 4 seconds faster than Boasson Hagen.

Great ride by Kiriyenka

Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), Jaob Fuglsang (Astana) and Markel Irizar (Trek) set almost identical times to move into the provisional top 5 but for a long time, no one was able to challenge Moreno. As expected, it was Sky who finally knocked the Andalusian out of the hot seat when Kiriyenka set a time of 8.35.

The Belarusian held off good rides from Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) and Tim Wellens (Lotto Belisol) but his first real test came when his teammate Thomas started his ride. At the end, however, the Welshman was just 0.5 seconds slower than Kiryienka.

Wiggins fails

Simon Geschke (Giant-Shimano) and Bart De Clercq (Lotto Belisol) both finished within 5 seconds of Kiryienka's time but all eyes were now on the big favourite, Wiggins. However, the Brit narrowly missed the mark, setting a time that was just 0.6 slower than his teammate's.

Haimar Zubeldia (Trek) set himself well up for the GC by riding into the provisional top 10 but it was Izagirre who stole the headlines. The Spaniard powered across the line in a time that was a massive 4 seconds faster than Kiryienka's.

Porte fails

Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural) was the first rider from the final wave to make it into the provisional rider while Bauke Mollema (Belkin), Maxime Monfort (Lotto Belisol) and Michele Scarponi (Astana) all had disappointing rides. All eyes were now on Porte but like his Sky teammates, he came up short, finishing in a time that was only good enough for 8th on the day.

Dumoulin was the rider who finally knocked Izagirre out of the hot seat and the Dutchman could now only wait for the final rider, Valverde, to finish his ride. He was denied the win in his first race of the season when the defending champion powered across the line in a time that was an impressive 7 seconds faster than the Dutchman's.