Tadej Pogacar wins Vuelta a Espana opening stage in Monaco

Pogacar completed the 9.4-kilometer course in Monaco, his home city, in 10 minutes 57 seconds, narrowly beating Briton Ethan Hayter by 0.09 seconds. Joshua Tarling finished third, four seconds behind the top two. Pogacar, who has previously won the Tour de France five times and the Giro d'Italia in 2024, expressed surprise at his win, attributing it to his familiarity with the technical course.

A victory in the Vuelta would make Pogacar only the fourth rider to achieve a historic Tour-Vuelta double in the same season. The race continues Sunday with a 214.3km stage from Monaco to Manosque in France.