Vuelta a Espana - the most important facts in brief
- Stage 1, Saturday, 17 August
- Individual time trial over 12 kilometres
- Start first driver: 4:23 pm
- Start last driver: 7:18 pm
- TV broadcast: 17:00 - 21:00 Eurosport 1
- Live stream: Discovery Plus (subject to a charge)
- All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance
- The favourites
- The start list
Vuelta 2024: Stage 1 - route, elevation profile and map
The 2024 Vuelta a Espana will once again start abroad - as was last the case in Utrecht in the Netherlands in 2022. This time, the Tour of Spain is travelling less far. It starts in neighbouring Portugal with the first three stages. An individual time trial awaits the riders at the beginning, starting in Lisbon, where the Vuelta began in 1997, and finishing in Oeiras.
There are no topographical obstacles on the first day and the course is not technically demanding either. The start ramp is set up not far from the Tower of Belem, one of Lisbon's landmarks. The route then heads out of the metropolis in a very straight line along the wide N6 to Oeiras.
Sporting assessment of the 1st stage
Stage 1 is one of two individual time trials alongside stage 21 - a total of 36.6 kilometres await the riders in the battle against the clock at the Vuelta a Espana 2024. That's not much, but still more than last year, when there was only one individual time trial on stage 10 over 25.8 kilometres and also a team time trial at the start in Barcelona, which was sometimes chaotic as darkness fell.
The opening time trial in Portugal is for classic rouleurs. Riders of the calibre of Filippo Ganna, who won the individual time trial at the Tour of Spain in 2023, can be expected at the front here. Due to the proximity to the open sea, the wind could play a significant role if the conditions are right. The teams will study the weather forecast closely and have their top riders start earlier or later depending on the wind conditions.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of stage 1 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
The first rider rolls off the start ramp in Lisbon at 16:23. At 19:18, the last of a total of 176 professional cyclists will set off on the course and is expected to cross the finish line at around 19:30.
Eurosport will broadcast all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024. Stage 1 will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 17:00.* Including post-stage coverage, the broadcast will run until 21:00. A live stream on the internet is also available from the paid provider Discovery Plus.
* Transmission times are subject to change.
