Third Volta Catalunya

Alejandro Valverde continues accumulating victories in the the first part of the season. The Movistar Team cyclist closed his third general classification of the Volta Catalunya, the second in a row. Valverde beat in 29 seconds his teammate Nairo Quintana and in 47 seconds the Frenchman Pierre Roger Latour (Ag2r) and the Australian Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), the winner of final stage in the traditional circuit of Montjuic.

The final day was not a walk. His main rivals in the fight for the general classification attacked several times during the last day, highlighting the courage and the nerve of the young Egan Bernal (Team Sky). The Colombian, second in the overall before the start, quit as a result of a fall in one of the last descents, but previously he tried to put Valverde in trouble.

With this victory, Alejandro reaches eight victories in just 22 days of competition: two stages and the general of the Volta Catalunya, one stage and the general in the Abu Dhabi Tour and two stages and the general in the Vuelta a Valencia.

Statements: “It was a difficult race again today, but my team-mates, just like they’ve done all week, were able to keep things under control. When things got the craziest, I just accelerated on the climb to keep neutralizing those moves which were more dangerous, to make things easier for my team-mates. We worked again a little bit after my attack, because Yates was sort of a threat for the overall result. All in all, things turned out really well. It’s been a fantastic week for us, with Nairo’s second place, the fifth by Marc, the two stage wins… The team have worked their hearts out for the seven days, and we really deserve these results. It was awful to see Rojas crashing and not being able to join us on the podium after finishing, though. In my case, there’s no better way to start a season, especially considering where I was coming from. A fourth Volta title in 2019? I don’t know. We’ve got three now, which is fantastic, and above all, it’s three stageraces already for me this season!”.

Photo and quotes: Movistar Team