In the first stage of 103rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya He miscalculated and the victory eluded him in the blink of an eye, but this Tuesday, in the first high finish of the race, in the first special category climb, a Volta classic like Valter 2000, the slovenian Tadej Pogacar did not forgive. You may make a mistake one day, but not twice in a row.
It has moved before on several occasions, in a difficult phase for cyclists, which started with Mataró sunny and above 20 degrees and that is marked by cold and rain and below 5º degrees at the finish line of Vallter (2,135 meters). This Tuesday was a particularly difficult day, in the high mountains, which turned out to be less, with almost 3,500 meters of accumulated unevenness and having the first major ascent of el Coll de Coubet. A 1st category ascent, 9.6 kilometers at an average slope of 5.2%.
At this point in the race the first breakaway consisting of six runners is fading. The two strongest escapes are Belgian Jimmy Janssens and the Caja Rural broker Samuel Fernández. Of the two, the stronger was Janssens, who gave it his all and finally saw the peloton attack him with 8 kilometers to go.
At this point in the episode UAE team has greatly increased speed, with a Pogacar restless man who was already smiling at the descent of Coll de Coubet. He’s playful and bouncy’Handsome’, that on the final climb to the Vallter (11.2 km at an average slope of 7.6% and ramps of up to 18%) was fatal.
The race became very tense and as soon as it subsided, Pogacar attacked. He made it about seven kilometers from the finish line. On his back, suffering from following his wheel. ‘Pogi’ was unleashed, in his signature style that seemed almost effortless. At three kilometers he was ahead of his pursuers by 40 seconds. And after him, Mikel Landa and Alexander Vlasovwho reached a few meters above the rest of the privileged people who could face the Slovenian tyranny.
As in the best passages of a good suspense novel, Pogacar emerges from the clouds to cross the finish line of Valter, with 1’23” margin Mikel Landa and Alexander Vlasov first, second and third position overall after a very difficult stage waiting for what will happen in Wednesday’s stage, which will be more difficult, with first position (Port de Toses) and two special categories, Port del Cantó and Port Aine. Great Volta.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
