The Slovenian shone again in the tough queen stage to confirm his dominance in the Catalan round
BARCELONA, 23 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) conquered this Saturday the penultimate and queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya, a very hard day with six climbs and a tremendously demanding finish, between Berga and Queralt over 154.7 kilometers, where the leader He wanted to defend and seal his domain in a big way.
Pogacar waited 30 kilometers from the end of the sixth stage, climbing the Collada de Sant Isidre, to launch his attack that took him alone to the finish line. The Slovenian, who already had the general classification in his hand with two and a half minutes of lead, will arrive in Barcelona as a virtual winner and great entertainer of the Volta.
After his exhibition at the Strade Bianche at the beginning of March, the double Tour de France champion already excelled on the second day of the Catalan round at the Vallter 2000 ski resort and did not drop out of the lead. The Slovenian seemed to be overkill, but he wanted to add epicness and grandeur to his victory in the designated stage, crossing the finish line alone with the Colombian Egan Bernal and the Spaniard Mikel Landa at 57 seconds.
The Catalan queen stage had a powerful first course with the Coll de Pradell, which selected 14 runners after its tough slopes of up to 16%. There, Pogacar seemed to slow down, with two teammates and still 65 kilometers to go, although in Siena he showed he was capable of that and more. Bauke Mollema (Lidl Trek) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education), the first escapees of the day, were no longer there when the Pradell began, after a first part with several falls.
The peloton was selected, with rough asphalt and a narrow road, and the Spaniards Landa, Enric Mas (Movistar Team), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) and Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek) held on. The 14 added a minute to the chasing group, who again connected with the lead before the Collada de Sant Isidre.
Five kilometers of another hard climb where Pogacar was already left alone. The Slovenian was followed by Landa and, shortly after, the Colombian Egan Bernal (INEOS), who ended up connecting with the Spaniard 13 kilometers from the end. From behind, Mas was also encouraged in search of the Volta podium, with an intelligent and brave movement.
The icing on the cake was the climb to Queralt, on the way back to Berga, with a Pogacar that did not lose rhythm in its pedaling, only because of a police motorcycle that it had to ask for way by hitting its rear. People gathered on the last ramps, in an outcome typical of the ‘big’ laps, to see one more exhibition from a Pogacar that scored its third stage in the Volta.
For this Sunday, the ride through Barcelona, with a climb to the Coll de la Creu de l’Ordal and six laps on the final circuit in Montjuïc, will be a tribute to Pogacar. Landa will be able to savor a second place, in addition to a good moment of form, being the one who came closest to the intractable Slovenian. Mas wanted the podium with dedication but Bernal went up there this Saturday, the Colombian third.
–CLASSIFICATIONS.
-Stage.
1. Tadej Pogacar (SVN/UAE Team Emirates) 4:11:53.
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers/COL) a 57.
3. MIKEL LANDA (ESP/Soudal Quick-Step) a 57.
4. ENRIC MAS (ESP/Movistar Team) 2.14.
5. Crhis Harper (AUS/Jayco-AlUla) 2.16.
-General.
1. Tadej Pogacar (SVN/UAE Team Emirates) 25:06:16.
2. MIKEL LANDA (ESP/Soudal Quick-Step) a 3:31.
3. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers/COL) 4:53.
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe) 5:46.
5. ENRIC MAS (ESP/MOVISTAR TEAM) 5:51.
2024-03-23 16:32:57
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