NICOLAS ROCHE AND BMC Racing won the opening stage of the Vuelta à Espana, a 13.7km team trial in Nimes.
BMC clocked a time of 15:58, six seconds faster than both Quick-Step Floors and Team Sunweb who finished in identical times of 16:04.
Team Sky finished fourth (+0:09), with team leader Chris Froome bidding to join Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as only the third man to win both the Tour de France and the Vuelta in the same season.
Irish team Aqua Blue Sport, making their Grand Tour debut, finished 13th in 16:36.
Sunday’s stage is a 203km flat stage from Nimes to Narbonne, before the first mountain stage of this year’s race on Monday.
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