The sprinters got their chance ahead of the last big mountain stage.
La Molina returned at the week-long World Tour race, less than twenty-fours after Remco Evenepoel triumphed there, but this time it featured in the first part of the stage, meaning its impact on the general classification was equal to zero. The only eventful thing to happen there was five riders forming a breakaway that remained off the front until four kilometers to go.
Soudal Quick-Step was one of the teams to take over the reins at the head of the peloton, especially in the last part of the stage, to protect Remco Evenepoel and deliver him safely home in Sabadell, which returned at the Volta a Catalunya for the first time in 22 years.
Evenepoel concluded in the same time as winner Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Fenix) and remained on the overall podium of the race before the hardest summit finish of the race – Lo Port, a climb whose double-digit gradients are expected to bite and widen the gaps between the contenders.
Photo credit: ©David Ramos / Getty Images
