Samu snatches Burgos opener

Samu Sánchez has made a winning start to the Vuelta a Burgos. The defending champion outsprinted Purito Rodríguez atop the cat. 3 San Juan del Monte climb at the end of the 168km stage one. As a result he naturally gets to wear the race's first leader's jersey and is thus well on course for a tilt at the overall win once again. Samu now holds a four-second buffer over likely GC rivals Menchov, Pardilla and erstwhile team-mate David García López, while impressive Orbea youngster Ricardo García finished a promising tenth on the stage, just ten seconds down. Of note earlier on the stage was the returning Astarloza's impeccable work in reeling in the break and setting a high tempo at the front of the pack to set up Samu for the final climb. His strong work lay the foundations for Samu's win and the Pasaia native will no doubt be quietly pleased with his first race back. Stay tuned later this evening for full results and reactions.