La Vuelta 2022 - What is a team time trial? How does it work? When does the clock stop?

Team time trials (TTT) are used less and less nowadays in cycling but this year’s La Vuelta will see the first red jersey decided by the very format which we haven’t seen at a men's Grand Tour for three years. That’s right, on Friday, Stage 1 of La Vuelta will see the teams take on a 23.2km TTT in Utrecht, which, as to be expected in the Netherlands, is pan flat. Ad You can expect the big teams to be contending for victory including Jumbo Visma, Ineos Grenadiers and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, so in theory, Jumbo's Primoz Roglic could be wearing red from the opening stage.

Vuelta a España‘If Roglic stays on his bike he will be incredibly hard to beat’ – McEwen's La Vuelta predictionsAN HOUR AGO It’s a fascinating concept and to anyone who is new to cycling, but has seen the team pursuit event in the velodrome at the Olympics, the TTT is a similar thing, except it’s a bit longer and features more riders per team. Sound good? Even if you think not, here’s a bit more on TTTs which might make you change your mind about the format. How does the team time trial work? Each team will roll off the starting ramp in four-minute intervals with the bigger teams going towards the end.

There are eight riders per team and the goal is to get to the finish in the quickest time. However, and this is the crucial bit, the time is taken on the fifth rider of the team that finishes. This means up to three riders can cross the finish line minutes behind the fifth-placed rider — a likely scenario given they may have made a bigger effort to help their team-mates’ stage time.