It's not always an omen, but an early start can make all the difference in the season, and at the beginning of 2019, Zdenek Stival (Detunink Quickstep) had not raised his arms in over a year and a half, but his victory on the last day of the Volta Ao Algarve liberated and was a moment to set the tone for a great spring campaign that brought success at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Binkbank Classic.

On Saturday's sixth stage of the Vuelta a San Juan, El Bilikum, Stybar attacked skillfully in the last kilometer, and for the second year in a row, his first race brought him his first win. Of course, the success of his campaign will be judged by what happens in March and April, but Stybar welcomed this early bouquet.

"It's always nice to win early in the season. Especially after the winter, you never know what your condition will be like. There is still work to be done before the big races. Strada Bianche, Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix are my big goals for this year, as they are every year. I'm in good shape and I want to keep getting better."

Stejbal's victory was literally built on the course. A few days before the Vuelta a San Juan, he studied the course layout while training with the Dečuninck-Quick Step team. He noticed that the two curves in the last kilometer were suitable for a late attack.

"I trained here last week. I was having fun here with the guys and we tried a big attack in the last kilometer. So at the team meeting today we decided I was going to try it. I was able to jump in the last kilometer and get a good position for Alvaro Hodeg (sprinter)."

But Stybar, who suffered from soaring temperatures on Saturday's stage, had doubts about whether he would be able to pull off his planned heist in the last kilometer. Such fears were unnecessary. When Fernando Gaviria's UAE Team Emirates team set up a sprint for the win, he accelerated quickly and widened his margin of victory.

"It wasn't easy to pick the right moment because it was hot during the day and I wasn't in good shape," Gaviria said. 'I couldn't cool off and I had a bad feeling with two kilometers to go. But in the last kilometer, I saw the UAE lining up and I thought, "Okay, this is a surprise moment," and I did my best."

There were no surprises for Steibal's teammate Lemko Evenpoel. When the peloton was temporarily split by a crosswind with 80km to go, he continued to attack boldly at the front of the pack until order was restored. The 20-year-old crossed the finish line in a group, leaving him with a 33-second lead over Filippo Ganna (ITA) heading into Sunday's flat final stage in San Juan.

"I wanted revenge for yesterday. Not quite revenge, but I knew it was a dangerous point in last year's race. Not quite revenge, but I knew from last year's race that it was a dangerous point."

"The wind was crosswind sometimes, but not enough. If it had been more crosswind, the pack could have exploded, but it wasn't a problem. We made it to the finish in one piece and 'Styby' won, so I can only think positive today."