From the control of signatures of Llivia, the last Catalan redoubt in French lands, a particular tension was noticed in a good number of runners present in the Volta a Catalunya. Where the chromatic range of blues multiplies in a sky that is profoundly healthier than that of the city, many cyclists suspected a common idea. After days of effort empty of reward in which victory had become completely inaccessible, the great opportunity arrived. An apparently less epic route, propitious for solid adventures, auspicious an escape as a synthesis of the day. The sprinters also looked at the Sabadell finish line as their only chance of victory. It was the day of the mortal wheelers, of the middle class of the Volta. But after a battle in which conquering every meter was an odyssey, that abominable enemy that is the peloton was stronger and the Australian Kaden Groves beat the Frenchman Bryan Coquard in the sprint.
Before getting on the bike, Roger Adrià (Kern Pharma), fifth in the Spanish championship last year, warned of his intentions. “Roglic and Evenepoel leave nothing for the others. They don’t even leave anything among themselves, imagine the rest, ”he cried. The encouragement of running at home, he is originally from Barcelona and his team from Terrassa, made him categorically assure that he would fight to be in the breakaway. David de la Cruz (Astana) also aspired to be the protagonist on arrival in Sabadell, his hometown. “Going through my neighborhood with my friends from the cycling club cheering me on is going to be very nice. The goal is to get into the break at all costs”.
And it cost a lot. The battle was tremendous. The second ascent to La Molina in less than 24 hours, with which the 188-kilometre fourth stage began, was almost as demanding as the day before, when the stage win was at stake. A succession of attacks, among which De la Cruz was always present, which gave way to a five-man escape. Both Astana and Kern Pharma kept their promises and together with Torstein Træen (Uno-X), Nans Peters (Ag2r) and Juul-Jensen (Jayco) led the way. From then on, a steep terrain of narrow roads and constant slopes led to the western Vallès that would become a great adventure.
An expert on the ground, De la Cruz was the one who offered the most energy in pursuit of the survival of the escape. The best years of the 33-year-old from Astana are surely over, but the class he once hosted is still noticeable with every pedal stroke. On his great day in the Volta, he squeezed his talent at key moments to extend his dream. As in the Alt del Collet de Sant Agustí or the Coll de Lligabosses, in the third category, when the peloton was pressing hard from behind.
The enemies were powerful and very varied. The most interested were Alpecin and Cofidis, who had two of the few sprinters in the race, the Australian Kaden Groves and the French Coquard, ultimately first and second respectively. The maximum advantage of the escapees was close to 3 minutes, but little by little it was reduced to just over a minute with 40 kilometers to go. There began a wonderful fight in which the five in front refused to stop dreaming. For 35 kilometers the illusion seemed close. They struggled against their rivals and against an air of face that made it more difficult for them to walk. Unexpectedly, with 5 kilometers to go, Soudal, the Evenepoel team, appeared to tense up the race and put Roglic on alert and that was the end of the day for the Catalans.
The peloton pounced on Sabadell and Groves was the smartest and strongest at the finish line. He held Coquard’s wheel until the last 100 metres, when he was able to overtake him.
Two minutes after Groves’ arrival, De la Cruz and Adrià appeared at the finish line, congratulating each other. Even without victory, they were the heroes of the day.
