The Spanish cyclist Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has won this Wednesday the third stage of the Volta to Catalunya, played between Viladecans The Style Outlets and La Molina about 218.6 kilometers, in a final hand in a infarction hand in which the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) leader of the provisional general.
Final dream by the organization? Surely. Because there was a good final battle in La Molina, because two of the candidates for the final triumph played side by the stage triumph and because, from this, a new leader who points out that the enemy number 1 for the rest of the ‘roosters’ was already left for this Thursday. And, also, because a new Spanish leader adds to the Catalan round.
In this first stage of mountain and the first end of this volta, the brave who tried to deceive the platoon to arrive alone was the Frenchman Bruno Armirail (Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale Team), who saw his dream live until he was swallowed at 9.3 kilometers of the finish line. And it was to arrive the squad to the Gaul and unleash hostilities.
If the UAE Team Emirates-XRG had taken the weight of the persecution, with the young Spanish Pablo Torres pulling on the first ramps of La Molina (12.2 kilometers to 4.4 percent on average), as soon as Armirail was neutralized, Armirail attacked several seconds and even some ‘first’ sword, like a SEPP Kuss (Team Visma | Lease to Bike) who lost his options for the first stage.
The attempts of Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) or Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco Alula) were counteracted by the UAE, with an attentive Adam Yates working well for its leader, the Spanish Juan Ayuso. But also the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) by Primoz Roglic meant his own and began to impose the rhythm, willing to control the race in the last 8 kilometers.
But an attack by George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech), seconded by others from Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team) and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), looted the large group, getting smaller and smaller. And Soler, in ‘Casa’, was at ease and was the most incisive in the attacks in that headboard that was a few meters from the rest of the favorites, from which Kuss arrived again.
However, a small moment of head in the lead and the ef education-easesypost arre. Roglic, surprised, tried to take the race head again and the truth is that Ayuso won by millimeters, in an end of ‘finish’ improper of these mountain stages.
Both arrived with 2 seconds of margin about the Spanish Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), third in the stage, and 4 on a group of favorites led by Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victororus) and in which Enric Mas (Movistar Team), Marc Soler, Juanpe López (Lidl-Rtrek) and José Manuel Díaz (Burgos Burgos Burpellet BH) entered.
In the provisional general, Juan Ayuso takes over from Matthew Brennan (Visma)-who endured until the final climb with the best- and has 6 seconds of margin over Roglic, 11 on Landa and 14 compared to more, with Junior Lecirf (Soudal Quick Step) fifth, 17 seconds. Differences that on Thursday, at the Alto del Montserrat, could be modified.
–Classifications.
-Stage.
1. JOHN AYOUSO (ESP/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 5:49:2
2. Primoz Roglic (SVN/Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) m.t.
3. MIKEL LANDA (ESP/Soudal Quick-Step) a 2.
4. Lenny Martinez (FRA/Bahrain-Victorious) 4.
5. Lennert van Eetvelt (Bel/Lotto) MT
-General.
1. JOHN AYUSO (ESP/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 14:30:4
2. Primoz Roglic (SVN/Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) a 6.
3. Mikel Landa (ESP/Soudal Quick-Step) 11.
4. Enric Mas (Esp/Movistar Team) 14.
5. Junior Lecerf (BEL/Soudal Quick-Step) 17.