Draining water pools? Team time trial in Vuelta possibly overshadowed by pouring rain

The Vuelta a España traditionally kicks off on Saturday evening with a team time trial. That was the case last year in Utrecht and in 2019 in Torrevieja, where a draining pool left its mark on the results. Water could play a role again on Saturday, in more ways than one...

The riders should be happy that the Vuelta starts on August 26, because the current conditions in Barcelona are unbearable. Daytime temperatures rise to over 35 degrees, and the humidity is high. Sweating is inevitable, so it's no wonder that water is being handed out in all taxis, curtains in the city are closed all day, and people are walking even slower than usual.

Various teams will experience difficulties during their reconnaissance rides, but by the time the team time trial arrives on Saturday evening, the temperature is expected to drop significantly for the first time in a long while, to well below 30 degrees. However, this isn't without reason: considerable rain is expected over the weekend. At the time of writing, the first thunderstorms are planned for Saturday evening, continuing throughout the night into Sunday morning.

The weather is ever-changing, so perhaps all will end well. As it stands, however, the team time trial could be marked by rain and therefore wet roads. After a long period of drought, this could make for slippery conditions, as was unintentionally the case in 2019 in Torrevieja. Back then, UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma fell victim to a draining pool in the final phase of the time trial, making the road unexpectedly slippery

With rain expected on Saturday, riders will need to be cautious on a course spanning 14.8 kilometers with as many as eighteen sharp turns. A trip through the most beautiful parts of the city. "Although it's technical, no large time differences between the big names are expected," has been stated for several months on the Vuelta's homepage. Let's hope that will be the case!