It was the last team to set off who proved fastest on the streets of Jerez, as Movistar stormed home behind Jonathan Castroviejo, to take the stage and the red jersey. It was a repeat of the opening stage of the 2012 Vuelta, when Castroviejo led the Movistar squad over the line in Pamplona. Castroviejo now gets to wear the red leaders jersey for the second time, having held it for two days in 2014, but his hopes of keeping it a while longer this time around will hinge on the outcomes of the sprints over the next few stages. Fast finishers such as Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEDGE), Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) are all lurking dangerously, and with time bonuses available for the first three riders across the line, Castroviejo's reign may be short-lived. It was also a perfect start to the race for the Spanish team's GC riders, Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, giving them a small advantage over their rivals that could prove crucial over the next three weeks.
There had been nerves ahead of the stage, the parcours was tight and technical and crashes were certainly expected. Earlier in the day the entire Trek Factory Racing team hit the deck while on a reconnaissance ride, which may have taken the edge off of their performance later in the day. Thankfully there were no repeats during the race proper.
Orica GreenEDGE set the first strong finishing time, but were swiftly displaced atop the leader board by the relatively unfancied Cannondale team. With the Cannondale squad ceasing to exist in its current form at the end of this season, and several riders looking to secure contracts for the 2014 season, the Italian squad used took advantage of this opportunity to make a strong impression. They watched on as the favoured teams were unable to match their time, looking set for victory until Movistar stole in at the last.
The course was short at 12.6km, so the time gaps were fairly small; even the teams who struggled were able to avoid a catastrophic time loss. Losing 51 seconds to the Movistar riders, Daniel Navarro of Cofidis lost the most time of any likely GC contender, but Garmin-Sharp, Katusha Team and Astana Pro Team all find their leaders more than 30 seconds in arrears as well.