Early Vuelta very much like the early Giro

The Vuelta is underway. Three stages in now and already there are echo's of this years Giro. It too started with a team-time-trial and then seen Michael Matthews grab a stage win and the race leaders jersey. The only real difference between the two is a lack of Northern Irish rain and the Garmin team not crashing in that team-time-trial.

Things are still fairly packed in the GC; Dan Martin finished second to Matthews today with Chris Froome and Alberto Contador in the same group. Alejandro Valverde lost 7 seconds but maintains a strong placing out of those considering themselves favorites over this three week race. Thibaut Pinot was someone I thought might contend despite tired legs following the Tour, but he lost 4'21" on today's stage and must surely be here for stage wins alone.

One man missing from when I wrote about how packed this Vuelta field was, is Chris Horner. He withdrew in the days leading up to the start, not because he's still suffering from an illness, but because he took medicine to combat it. Horner had been suffering with bronchitis and the medication of cortisone he took to get better in time required a TUE, which was fine by the UCI, but because his Lampre team are a member of the MPCC -- the Movement for Credible Cycling -- they would not let him race so close to using those drugs.

Never mind a years training washed out because he needed medicine when sick, we're now deprived of seeing how this aging defending champion would get on against the likes of Froome and Contador. I don't think Horner would have been able to beat that pair, but now we'll never know for sure. Horner will not lose his Vuelta crown on the road.

I admire what the MPCC teams are trying to do, but sometimes the logic makes you wonder. Sure there is a drive to return credibility to the sport, but at what cost? Can you imagine flying to Spain to watch Barcelona play only to find out that Messi wasn't in the lineup -- not because he wasn't fit -- but because he had been ill last week and had to take some medicine?

Granted Horner is no Messi and perhaps nobody has flown to Spain specifically to see him ride, but he's the defending champion nonetheless. The MPCC has good intentions, but this is the drawback to it.

The Vuelta continues however and we've still the potential for a brilliant race. I'll continue to hope that neither Froome or Contador find a way to crash before we hit the big mountains where this race will, as ever, be decided. And it'll be intriguing to see if anyone else can put themselves in the mix and beat this pair who so far seem more interested in their ALS Ice Bucket Challenges with Froome recently nominating Contador.

Standings after stage 3:

1. Matthews (OGE) in 9h27'53"

2. Quintana (MOV) +4"

3. Valverde (MOV) +11"

4. Uran (OPQ) +15"

5. Caruso (CAN) +17"

6. Caves (OGE) s.t.

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12. Contador (TCS) +23"

23. Froome (SKY) +31"