Adam Yates loses GC time to Jørgen Nordhagen, but UAE Emirates-XGR still win O Gran Camiño stage 1 time trial

Julius Johansen won the opening time trial at O Gran Camiño. Over the fifteen-kilometre course, the Dane proved faster than continental rider Rafael Reis. Jørgen Nordhagen was the best GC contender, finishing twelve seconds ahead of Adam Yates. Johansen will pull on the first leader's jersey on Wednesday.

Where three WorldTour teams lined up at this Spanish stage race in 2025, four took the start this year — and what teams they were. Both Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG chose to include the race in their programmes. A fierce battle between the two squads is expected, with riders like Tijmen Graat, Jørgen Nordhagen, Kevin Vermaerke, and Adam Yates all looking for a result.

Movistar and NSN were keen to spoil that party, with Iván Romeo and Alessandro Pinarello at their disposal. Romeo would have been among the favourites for the fifteen-kilometre time trial, which also included the San Pedro climb, if luck had been on his side.

There was a long wait for a meaningful benchmark, as the early starters were mainly continental riders. The first serious time came from the Caja Rural camp, where Abel Balderstone set the fastest time. It would not last long.

Visma | Lease a Bike leader Nordhagen was flying. The Norwegian posted the fastest split at every checkpoint and demolished Balderstone's time by nearly half a minute. It was a time that UAE leader Adam Yates could not match either. The Briton lost twelve seconds to his rival. The first head-to-head went decisively to the Norwegian.

Nordhagen's time would not be the winning one, though. Portuguese riders Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) and Rafael Reis (Anicolor/Campicarn) ruined the Norwegian celebrations. The two compatriots finished with almost the same time, but the continental rider ultimately proved eight tenths of a second faster. Time trial specialist Romeo still had to start, however, and was the pre-race favourite.

The Spaniard set off superbly and clocked the fastest opening split. But the Portuguese riders had made their gains in the second half — and the contest appeared settled before that section even began. Romeo punctured, letting go of all hope of a top placing. The Spaniard could not muster the motivation to push on and lost significant time.

Reis was still not comfortable in the hot seat, though. Julius Johansen (UAE) was going extremely well. The Dane posted the fastest time at both intermediate checkpoints and looked destined for his first professional victory. Johansen gave back a little time in the second half, but still had sixteen seconds in hand at the finish. Enzo Leijnse rounded out the top ten.