photo credits @ Volta
Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease A Bike) sprinted to his second stage victory in the Volta a Catalunya today, emerging from a sprint finale to seize the day’s honors in Amposta, after fending off Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck), while Picnic-PostNL’s Pavel Bittner rounded out the podium in third.
In the meantime, an intermediate sprint saw Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) retake the leader’s jersey, snatching a single bonus second to reclaim the lead from Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), while Enric Mas (Movistar) remains third in the overall standings.
Earlier, a breakaway group of eight riders containing Bruno Armirail, Michael Leonard, Enzo Paleni, Jan Castellon, Mats Wenzel, Mikel Bizkarra and Jokin Murguialday, escaped the peloton, subsequently building up a modest advantage despite heavy crosswinds. But, the group was eventually reeled in with 21 kilometers to go, with Paleni being the last survivor.
From there, the peloton broke into two echelons during the run-up to the finish.
However, in the end, the stage shaped into a bunch sprint, with Axel Laurance the first to open up his sprint. But, the French rider was overhauled by Brennan et al during the final 100 meters, with the young British rider claiming the stage win.
