The second mountain stage of the Volta a Catalunya once again caused significant damage this Saturday on the way to Queralt. Before the final showdown, Rudy Molard made it into the breakaway but was caught by the peloton on the day’s main difficulty, the Coll de Pradell. On that climb, David Gaudu showed promising form, which he maintained all the way to the finish, where he placed fourteenth. The race will conclude tomorrow in Barcelona.
For the second consecutive day, nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain had to be tackled this Saturday in Catalonia. From Berga to Queralt, the peloton faced four categorized climbs, including the Coll de Pradell (14.5 km at 7%) around the midpoint of the stage, followed by the Collada de Sant Isidre (5 km at 8%) and the final ascent to Queralt (6 km at 7%). A decisive battle for the general classification was expected, but first there was the fight for the breakaway, which was highly sought after on Saturday. “We knew it had little chance of going all the way given the big favorites who are here, but it was a way for us to have an impact on the race and achieve a result through it,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “Everyone contributed. You can tell so as the start was very fast, a split formed, and we had the entire team in the first peloton. It shows the riders were focused and committed, but the breakaway was still not easy to get into, and it was Rudy who managed to catch the right group.” After about thirty kilometres, the French rider broke away with fourteen others, including Richard Carapaz, Giulio Ciccone, Marc Soler, and Nairo Quintana. However, their lead was held at around two minutes by the peloton, which also significantly increased the pace on the Coll de Pradell.
“David rode a good stage” – Stéphane Goubert
This ultimately spelled the end of Molard’s effort near the summit. “Rudy had stomach issues during the stage and couldn’t fight to the end,” Stéphane added. “For Guillaume, it was already difficult yesterday, and he felt even worse today. He needs race rhythm after his training camp to get back to his usual level.” The French climber had to drop earlier than hoped, but David Gaudu came over the top of the climb within a reduced peloton of around twenty men. Many riders re-joined on the descent, but when the pace picked up again on the Collada de Sant Isidre, the Breton once again proved himself among the fifteen strongest of the day. In the end, he was just one kilometre short of staying with the dozen remaining favorites. “He was a bit less affected by his back today, so he felt better and rode a good stage,” Stéphane emphasized. At the finish, he secured fourteenth place. “It’s not a top 10, and he’s not competing with the very best, but it’s a step forward,” Stéphane added. “We need to continue in this direction and completely resolve this issue, because David mainly needs to have fun again.”
On Sunday, the Volta a Catalunya will conclude with the usual stage around Montjuïc. “We’ll have to play to our strengths,” Stéphane concluded. “In the quieter phases of the circuit, if there are any, we might try to anticipate, or ride defensively and hope for a sprint. Rudy has already performed well on this stage”.
