Vuelta’s ‘unsafe’ 1st stage won’t count for individual times (The Associated Press)
The Spanish Vuelta said Friday that the race’s opening team time trial will not count toward the overall standings, after complaints about safety from cyclists. Vuelta spokesman Ivan Gomez told The Associated Press that after a meeting with teams and race directors, cycling’s governing body UCI decided that Saturday’s 7.4-kilometer (4.6-mile) stage will only count for the team classification, not individual times. Gomez said that some riders had complained the course starting in the southern coastal town of Puerto Banus and ending in Marbella ”did not have sufficient safety guarantees” because of a stretch along the sea that goes through dirt.