La Vuelta 2022: Six talking points from the Dutch ‘gran salida’ - Primoz Roglic the next Jumbo-Visma rider in red?

Three stages, three different riders in red, one sprinter standing head and shoulders above the rest. If that pretty well sums up the Dutch ‘gran salida’ then we will attempt to delve a little further into the intricacies of the first phase of the 77th edition of La Vuelta.

Our daily opinion pieces have already discussed the merits and pitfalls of the team time trial format, as well as the revival of Ireland’s Sam Bennett – who Nick Christian believes should have been selected for Bora-Hansgrohe’s Tour de France team on this showing. Ad Now let’s look closer at these points, plus other talking points from three quiet and largely uneventful days whose very lack of drama Dan Lloyd feels nevertheless serve a purpose in the narrative arc of the race.

Vuelta a EspañaLa Vuelta: How to watch Stage 3 as Jumbo-Visma keep hold of red jerseyYESTERDAY AT 18:03 La Vuelta 2022: standings and results Roglic up next in Jumbo-Visma’s game of musical red chairs? Allowing Robert Gesink to cross the line first was a classy gesture from Jumbo-Visma as the Dutch team’s TTT victory in the Dutch city of Utrecht resulted in the Dutch veteran taking the first red jersey of the Vuelta – and of his career. A day later, Dutch sprinter Mike Teunissen took over the red jersey for one day before Italy’s Eduardo Affini took over the race lead – both on virtue of their higher placings in the day’s stage.

With six Jumbo-Visma riders still tied for time at the top – Affini, Sam Oomen, Primoz Roglic, Teunissen and Gesink – it’s likely that their game of red musical chairs will continue on Tuesday. The sextet lead seven Ineos Grenadiers riders by 13 seconds and four Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl riders by 14 seconds at the top of the standings – meaning the 10