Think luxury yachts, expensive shops and big cars. Puerto Banús is a marina for the rich, located just west of Marbella. No towering hotels for the masses, but large villas and expensive apartments and endless golf courses.
There will be no luxury for the riders once they roll of the start ramp. Racing along the coast, it’s full gas for 7.4 kilometres. The flat route is advantageous for teams with riders who push a big gear. The time of the fifth rider of the team is going to be decisive for the stage-win, which will be the only win today as time differences will be neutralized. That is, recorded times will be counted for the team classification, not for the individual GC.
Last year the Vuelta started with a team time trial also. No significant time differences were made on the 12.6 kilometres route in Jerez. Movistar bested Cannondale and Orica-GreenEDGE by 6 seconds.
Results/race report stage 1, Vuelta 2015.
Vuelta 2015 stage 1: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom.
Good site. Lots of info.