There were some dramatic changes in the final hours before rider registration for the Vuelta a España. Ben Turner had to abruptly abandon the Renewi Tour in Belgium to replace Chris Hamilton, who had fallen ill, in the Ineos Grenadiers team.

Another major change involved young Briton Finlay Pickering , who was called up at the last minute on Friday to take Damiano Caruso's place in the Bahrain Victorious team, after the Italian suffered a broken bone in his hand less than 48 hours before the start.

Filippo Ganna also admitted having had health problems in the days leading up to the start of the Vuelta, but is determined to participate after being forced to withdraw from the Tour de France due to a concussion suffered on the first stage.

As for Caruso, the 37-year-old Sicilian had shown excellent form by winning a stage at the Vuelta a Burgos. A stage winner at the 2021 Vuelta, he had attended the team presentation on Thursday, before the accident that caused the fracture.

A three-time top-five finisher at the Giro d'Italia, including fifth place this year, Caruso was considered an outsider for the general classification and was expected to support teammate Antonio Tiberi.