The Basque remains in contention for the overall podium after a nervous day.
On paper, stage five of the race should have been one for the sprinters, and until 20 kilometers to go, everything was pointing to a mass gallop on the streets of Amposta. Everything changed though on the exposed roads before the small Catalan town, where several teams drilled it at the front and put down the hammer, fragmenting the peloton.
Fourth on the general classification of the oldest stage race in Spain, Mikel Landa was on the right side of this split and made the cut together with some 30-odd riders. As the speed increased and many riders got spat out the back, Soudal Quick-Step’s leader continued to remain well positioned in this select group and arrived at the finish – where Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) won – some 40 seconds ahead of the chasers, cementing his place in the top five and increasing the advantage he has over some of his GC rivals.
It was a great ride and a morale-boosting result for Mikel ahead of the race’s queen stage, scheduled on Saturday, when the bunch will face four classified climbs and an elevation gain of almost 4000 meters on their way to Queralt, which makes its second consecutive appearance at the Volta a Catalunya.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
