Sometimes the road to victory in cycling begins at the most unlikely of starting points. A few weeks ago, Rune Hellegotz (Sport-Vlaanderen-Baroise), winner of the first stage of the Ruta del Sol, found himself unable to start the 20022 race program in France as scheduled because the COVID-19 vaccine was "too old." [It was] a very tough two days mentally. I was saying to myself, 'Damn, I want to start the season,'" the second-year pro told a small group of reporters at the finish of the first stage of the Ruta del Sol in Iznájar.

"But when I saw the first day of the Ruta del Sol route book, I knew I was going to win here. If I win the first day, I get the leader's jersey. So that's a big bonus."

Herregotz also knew that since this year's Ruta del Sol opens with a tough but short uphill finish, no team would be desperate to revive an early breakaway on the first stage. So another big piece of the jigsaw puzzle fit nicely when he made the break of the day with 2km to go.

As he explained, the uphill finish of this stage did not favor the sprinters.

Besides, there was the route. In the last 10 km, the peloton would not be able to make up much time on the fast descent, and the narrow road in front of it would not provide a "washing machine effect." It needed a team to chase. We didn't get caught up in the natural pressure of the group behind us."

"So I knew that if we stayed together and were in a strong group they would hesitate. And finally, we were able to get out of a group of eight."

"We were able to get out of a group of eight.

Heregotz was so convinced of his chances that he actually sent an email to his teammate Lindsay de Vilder a few days before the Ruta start, telling him to join the breakaway group. He also instructed his mechanics to fit him with special wheels with clincher tires and latex inner tubes. It was 9 o'clock at night, so I was pretty nervous asking them to do that. But they gave us the fastest setup possible.

In Spain, language barriers often arise during breaks, but that was not the case this time. It was also confirmed by Steven Bassett (Human Powered Health), who finished second in the stage.

Ultimately, it was ideal that eight riders joined the breakaway to allow de Vilder to hang on in the flat sections.

Helegotz, winner of last year's season finale, the Ronde Van Drenthe, explained that his victory in the first race of 2022, which will unintentionally take place in Spain instead of France this February due to vaccine problems, was due in part to his rigorous winter preparation.

"My handlebars are always close together and very aero," he said. That's why I was practicing in Belgium. I was riding like this [on the banks of the Schelde River] for half an hour. It's really painful, but if you do 200km you can get really aero and save energy."

In the grand finale, he wanted to be alone on the final climb, but in a late attack in the third category, Puerto La Parrilla, he said he kept losing ground on his other rivals because of the poor rhythm of the race.

However, he knew the speed would turn fast in the sprints after 200 kilometers.

"My teammate Lindsay followed me well on the flats. It's not every day you get a chance like this."

"I had to dig very deep, but I had to finish. I was steering an American driver, but I didn't know him.

"Then in 100 meters he slowed down. I can't believe it. Unbelievable.

Heregotz was the race leader going into the second stage of Ruta del Sol. But in his second year as a pro, Hergotts and his team got off to a great start, battling with the peloton's biggest WorldTour team.