Joaquim Rodríguez got off to a winning start at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco by pipping Samuel Sánchez by the tightest of margins.
The duo had edged ahead with RadioShack riders Andreas Kloden and Chris Horner on a brutal final climb which topped out just 3.5km from the finish and remained clear to sprint it out for victory in Zumarraga.
It was Rodríguez who kicked first on the tight closing straight, and despite Sánchez's best efforts, the Katusha man clung on to triumph by a hair's breadth at the line.
Much of the day had passed without any significant drama after Ivan Rovny (RadioShack), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Mathieu Perget (AG2R) had edged ahead on the first of six categorised ascents.
The trio's lead extended to nine minutes before Euskaltel, Leopard Trek and Garmin-Cervelo joined forces to reduce the gap, and all three were eventually reeled back in with less than 15km to go.
A group of around 80 riders remained as they pressed on to the Alto de la Antigua but many would suffer on that fearsome final rise which maxed out at a whopping 20% - and several even had to get off their bikes and push.
Rodríguez and his three accomplices emerged unscathed however and it was the 31-year-old who took pole position going into Tuesday's second stage.
