MADRID (WAM)
In stage 1 of O Gran Camiño, Julius Johansen rocketed to the first professional victory of his career. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG powerhouse produced an epic ride against the clock to win the individual time trial and move into the race lead.
Completing the 15km-long course in 17 minutes and 43 seconds, the 26-year-old was ultimately 15 seconds faster than the second-placed-rider on the day, Rafael Reis (Anicolor/Campicarn).
With this victory, Johansen takes the overall lead of the race, ahead of Rafael Reis and Nelson Oliveira.
As Johansen was storming to a memorable first professional victory, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Adam Yates was delivering a promising start to the week.
Usually, a man more at home in the mountains than aboard his time trial bike, Yates quietly got on with his business and rode to sixth place on stage 1.