Pogacar wins Vuelta opening time trial in Monaco

Less than four weeks after winning his fifth Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar showed no sign of fatigue on Saturday as he took victory in the opening time trial of the Vuelta a España, run through the streets of Monaco. The Slovenian superstar edged his nearest rival by just nine hundredths of a second, a margin that underlined both the quality of the field and the precision of his ride.

Pogacar, who makes his home in the Principality, was characteristically direct in his assessment afterwards. "I'm in good shape," he said, words that will have done little to lift the spirits of his rivals heading into the weeks ahead.

For Monaco, hosting the Grand Départ of the Vuelta adds to a summer already heavy with elite sport. The time trial course gave residents and visitors a rare chance to watch a Grand Tour unfold on familiar roads, with the harbour and hillside streets forming the backdrop to one of cycling's most compelling opening acts in recent memory.