The Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglic won the first stage of the Volta a Catalunya this Monday, placing himself as the leader in the general classification, on a day marked by a fall five kilometers from the finish line in Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
Roglic, 33, added his 70th victory as a professional on the road, completing the 164.6 kilometers in 3:48.17 hours, ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), long-distance world champion, with the Dutchman Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe) in third place.
The final sprint, on a ‘ramp’ already positioned within the last kilometer, was influenced by a fall just over five kilometers from the finish, which knocked several cyclists to the ground, including Britain’s Adam Yates (UAE Emirates), and ‘ cut ‘ the peloton, even before the time ‘protection’ of the last three thousand meters.
At the front, speed took over and, without most of the sprinters who could try to argue the stage, it was the Slovenian’s superior positioning that got the better of Evenepoel.
This duel will be constant in the Tour of Italy, the main objective of the two cyclists, as well as the Portuguese João Almeida (UAE Emirates), who did not know how to discuss the goal, but finished 22nd, with the same time as the winner.
‘Rogla’ leads the Volta a Catalunya four seconds behind Evenepoel, due to bonuses, and six seconds behind Schelling, with the rest of the leading group, including Almeida, 10 seconds behind.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols also served to leave many candidates in a bad state, for having lost time after the cut caused by the fall, of the British Geraint Thomas (INEOS), more than a minute ago, to his Colombian teammate Egan Bernal, but also the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easy Post) or the Dutchman Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious), among others.
The other Portuguese in the race, Ivo Oliveira (UAE Emirates), crossed the finish line in 141st place after working on behalf of the team principals.
The peloton crosses this Tuesday one of the most mythical climbs of the race, with 165.4 kilometers starting in Mataró on the way to the top in Vallter, in a special category.
Source: TSF
