It was going to take a certain kind of rider to take the win on stage 6 of the Volta a Catalunya. While the stage only featured two 3rd category climbs, the long 193.8km parcours was relentlessly choppy from start to finish. In spite of this, the stage was marked as one that the sprinters would want to be in contention for, with a long downhill stretch from the final climb of the day to the finish line in Mataró. It didn’t take long for the day’s break to go out, but BORA-hansgrohe was a strong force at the front of the peloton, working to keep the escapees in check. While the five-man break was determined, the German team was more determined, never allowing the advantage to go beyond 3:30, and the gap coming time every time their riders came to the front. With Ben Zwiehoff and Wilco Kelderman on the front, the escape came within touching distance, and with just less than 20km left to go, the catch was made. From here, it was a matter of keeping any subsequent attacking moves in check, with Lennard Kämna on the front, sacrificing himself to protect Peter Sagan after his own stage win yesterday, as the kilometres dipped below double figures and the peloton readied themselves for a sprint. The speeds had stretched out the bunch with many riders caught out of position, but Peter was five riders back, biding his time and picking the right moment to start his sprint on the narrow, crowded roads. While the other sprinters were fighting amongst themselves, Peter squeezed through the middle of them and from this point he left them all behind. The Slovak rider crossed the line to take his first win of the 2021 season with a powerful sprint that put clean air between himself and second place.
Results
01 P.Sagan 4h23’18”
02 D.Impey + 0:00
03 S.Molano + 0:00
From the Finish Line
“It was our goal today to go for the stage win, so the plan was to control the race from the start. I’d like to thank all my BORA-hansgrohe teammates for their effort, they controlled from start to finish. It was a fast and great race today. I came here after Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo without a break and we had six hard stages here at the Volta Catalunya, so I’m a bit tired. I’m happy with this victory, it’s a good start to the season, especially after what I went through the two months before coming here. It wasn’t an easy period but it looks nice now. We have one last stage tomorrow, a short but fast one, and I think the teams fighting for the GC will control it. We’ll see however how it plays out.” – Peter Sagan
“Congratulations to Peter Sagan and the entire BORA-hansgrohe squad for their performance, effort and the victory in today’s stage. It was truly a team victory and it wasn’t an easy one. With Mohorič and other strong riders in the breakaway as well as all the climbers in the chase it was hard to calculate the effort. In the middle of the race there was a section with winding roads, up and down, and we were afraid Mohorič would be able to take the win. That’s why we went all in from the middle of the race to bring the break under control and in the final kilometres once again we witnessed a fantastic effort by the entire team. It’s worth mentioning that it’s not often that a GC rider like Wilco Kelderman pulls in the finale of a sprint stage. That was the way we wanted to win and that’s how we won. Peter topped off this effort with an excellent sprint. He timed it very well, he waited for the right moment and made the perfect move. I think we saw today the Peter Sagan we always knew. It was a very good day for BORA-hansgrohe” – Christian Pömer, Sports Director
