Hello and welcome to live coverage of the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana - a 13.4km pan-flat but quite technical team time trial from the saltflats of Torrevieja to the centre of Torrevieja.

But they will be challenged by EF Education First, who came through the first check three seconds quicker. Although, Groupama went one better than came through four seconds quicker than the American team, so it's all happening.

CCC have set the new target time of 15'07" at the finish - that's 19 seconds quicker than Dimension Data.

Oof! The Euskadi-Murias team car crashed a while ago - that looks nasty, and I'm surprised they haven't stopped the TT to clear the road.

Groupama-FDJ are on course now. They have a young team with two Grand Tour debutants but no bona fide leader.

EF Education First have started. They have a really exciting team that includes Colombians Uran, Higuita and Martinez, Briton's Hugh Carthy and the American Tejay Van Garderen. At least one or two of those should finish in the overall top 10 in Madrid.

CCC have blasted through the first intermediate check with a lead of four seconds over Ag2R-La Mondiale so they're looking good to set the benchmark at the finish.

Today is really about celebrating the salt and deciding who wears the first red jersey: the gaps won't be big. Things really get going tomorrow although the first GC showdown for the race favourites comes on Wednesday's stage 5 with the first of eight summit finishes. More on the key stages which will decide the destiny of the red jersey here...

Ag2R-La Mondiale come home three seconds down on Dimension Data! They were two seconds up at the intermediate check at 7.3km but faded as they shed numbers.

Meanwhile, Ag2R-La Mondiale have shed half their team - they're down to the bare minimum of four riders as they approach the centre of town to finish their effort.

We have our target time: Dimension Data have come home in 15'25".

Spanish minnows Burgos BH are about to start. Their leader is former Movistar rider Angel Madrazo, aka. the Spanish McLovin.

This is what I mean about the ramp... salty.

The teams are going in four-minute intervals and we now have Ag2R-La Mondiale, Euskadi-Murias and CCC Team on the course.

Team Dimension Data are the first team to get down the ramp in this opening collective. The ramp itself appears to be made from buffed and shined salt. It's also surrounded by piles of the stuff.