Boí Taüll (Lleida), 24 Mar The Portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) won the sprint at the giant of Boí Taüll (Lleida) in the fourth stage of the Volta a Catalunya, but who became the new leader of the race after completing the two mountain days was the Colombian Nairo Quintana (Team Arkéa), who finished the stage in second position. Nairo Quintana and Joao Almeida tied for second overall, but the Colombian was named first place because of a better overall number of places in the contested stages than the Portuguese. Another Colombian, Sergio Higuita (Bora-Transgohe), was third in the finish line at a height of more than 2,000 meters and is also third overall, at six seconds. Spaniards Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) and Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS) and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (INEOS) entered a small group of about ten runners who reached 13 seconds behind Almeida. Ayuso is now fourth overall, 17 seconds behind Quintana. Carapaz is ninth to 26. Thus, the general standings are completely open for the three remaining stages of this Volta and it is not unreasonable to think that the podium can be decided on Sunday at the Montjuïc mountain in Barcelona. The whole stage, which started from La Seu d'Urgell, took place before a cloudy sky and a cold environment, but this time the wind was not the protagonist like in the previous stages of the Volta and did not become a setback to open up differences as happened in La Molina, in which the only big name that was ruled out was the British Simon Yates (Time BikeExchange), which was no longer released this Thursday in La Seu d'Urgell. The first of the favorites to start moving the stage was the Spaniard Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), who was already active since the start of the first port of the day, the first-class Coll de Boixols. After a first attempt at an unsuccessful escape, the second was the charm. Also Spaniards Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) and Juan Pedro López (Trek-Segafredo) and Frenchman Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ) joined the adventure with Soler. The four crowned the high with 40 seconds ahead of the platoon. Shortly after, they were joined by three more cyclists who then jumped, the Spaniard Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel Euskadi) and the British Hugh Carty (EF Education-Easy Post) and Mark Donovan (Team DSM). But in the second port of the day, that of la Creu de Perves, also first class, Soler began to falter and even gave up a dozen meters to his fellow escapees on some sections of the climb. Anyway, the group reached the top compact with a lead of 1 minute and 52 seconds. With 23 km to go, Armirail and Donovan jumped out of the group of escapees and, later, the Frenchman got rid of the Briton to reach the start of the climb to Boí Taüll, 12.7 km away, an average height difference of 5.6% and ramps of up to 12%. In the group of favorites, the attacks began at the very beginning of the port, with leader Ben O'Connor (AG2R), Colombian Sergio Higuita (BORA Hansgrohe), Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (INEOS) and New Zealand's George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates), who managed to distance himself from the rest in search of Almirail's wheel. This high pace caused Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) to break out of the group when there were still 11 km left until the end of the stage, losing all his options for the general standings. The situation stabilized with Bennett and Almirail about 15 seconds ahead of the group of favorites until Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS) changed the pace 4 km from the finish line. Rodriguez neutralized the escape and left the fertile situation for his teammate, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, to attack. The only one who managed to keep up with him at first was Colombian Sergio Higuita (Bora-Transgohe), but compatriot Nairo Quintana (Team-Arkéa) and Portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) ended up joining forces. Already within the last kilometer, Carapaz accused the effort and the group was reduced to three. In the final sprint, Higuita skated a little in the last corner and this caused it to be a head-to-head between Quintana and Almeida, who was stronger in the last few meters after 166.7 km very hard. Tomorrow, Friday, the Volta will live a seemingly quieter day, with an ideal stage for sprinters. The start will be in La Pobla de Segur and the peloton will arrive in Vilanova i la Geltrú after traveling 206.3 kilometers and climbing a third-class port, the Coll de Comiols. CHIEF 1011955 sej/gmh/jl (photos)
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case
The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize
Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup
Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs
