Chris Froome (Ineos Grenadiers) lost contact with GC contenders twice in the opening stage of the Vuelta a España, first on the final climb of the Alto de Huergeta and then on the final climb to the finish in Arate.

Two-time Vuelta winner Froome was happy to be back in the Grand Tour where he had dominated for more than two years, despite losing more than 11 minutes to stage winner Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma) and his Slovenian rivals.

The 35-year-old Froome had been away from racing for three weeks after a career-threatening crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné last June. Since then, the road to a comeback has been long and arduous, and he missed this summer's Tour de France.

He will leave Ineos at the end of the year for Israel's Startup Nation, and while he has yet to match his previous best performances, his experience in the Vuelta will likely feed him into 2021.

"For me personally, I got a little caught up on the last climb and started quite far back. I want to take it one day at a time and do the best I can for the team throughout the race."

"I'm looking forward to the next race," he said.

Four-time Tour de France winner Froome admitted that although he has yet to reach his previous best, he will be looking to improve further in this Vuelta. Along with consistency and strong teamwork, he will also want to prove, perhaps to himself, that he can fight with the best in the mountains. The challenge of a stage win would be the perfect tonic at this point.

"The feeling is good, but I'm still missing a bit of top end because I haven't raced much.

Froome is well aware that his reputation at the Vuelta is not a free pass. Before the race, he told reporters that he would work for Ineos leader Richard Karapas. He finished second in the stage, losing just one second of time to Roglic on the final climb.

Froom may not have assisted Kalapas in the opening stage, where Ineos set a furious tempo on the final two climbs, but his off-bike experience will be an asset in the coming weeks.

"It was a great day for us with Richard finishing second. He is up there in GC and is the team leader. We will be supporting him as much as we can throughout the race to try to win the overall."