Van Garderen conquers the Vallter 2000

Tejay van Garderen (BMC) has taken his first ever victory in a WorldTour race, out-powering Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) for the win in the 2014 Volta a Catalunya's hardest summit finish a few seconds ahead of the other main favourites.

On a full-scale Pyrenean stage with five classified climbs - three first category, one second and a Hors Categorie summit finish at Vallter 2000 to finish off with - expectations were high that the main favourites would engage in a battle royale.

Two pre-race contenders, 2013 Vuelta a España winner Chris Horner (Lampre-Merida) and the recent conquerer of Paris-Nice, Carlos Betancur (Ag2R La Mondiale), had failed to start the stage because of illness or injury. But after yesterday's scintillating last kilometre shootout between van Garderen, Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff), race leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar), it seemed more than likely that at least one of these riders remaining in the race would attempt to rip the field apart on the lower slopes of Vallter 2000.

However, the freezing temperatures, dense fog and heavy snow falling on the last 12 kilometre climb made long-range attacks like Contador's memorable move in Tirreno-Adriatico all but unrealistic, not to mention impossible to see for fans as TV coverage dried up in the harsh weather.

Thus although a four man breakaway containing Stef Clement (Belkin), Giro podium finisher Thomas De Gendt (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Maxime Mederel (Europcar) and Ruben Plaza (Movistar) managed to stay away as far as the foot of the Vallter 2000, half-way up the final climb the main group of favourites was reported on race radio as still mostly together.

After Sky's David Lopez had paced a slowly shrinking lead pack up much of the steadily rising climb in the freezing weather conditions, with rain turning to sleet and then snow, a move by Warren Barguil (Giant-Shimano) with some six kilometres to go saw the front end of the race spark into life again.

Then, as the promising young Frenchman slowly lost power and the two kilometre to go sign looming out of the fog indicated to the riders that the road was about to steepen again, in a virtual re-run of the finale from yesterday's stage an attack from Froome was followed by a counter-charge from Contador, passing the Briton.

However, matters then changed considerably. Rather than Rodriguez blasting out of the pack, instead on the steepest segment of the climb it was van Garderen's turn to go clear with Bardet, surging past the Frenchman on the right-hand bend that led into the finish for victory.

The 25-year-old American crossed the line just three seconds ahead of Contador, with Rodriguez following a second later in fourth place, Quintana at five seconds and Froome dropping to seventh place, eight seconds back: unexpectedly small differences for such a hard stage, but one where the appalling weather arguably ended up leaving almost everybody on the back foot.

"It was very cold," van Garderen told reporters as the snow teemed down behind the winner's podium. "Froome and Contador both attacked and it seemed like everybody was sitting and looking at each other and I made a move and nobody followed me.

"I think I got a little lucky and the cold helped me a little bit, I can maybe cope with it a little better than those guys who weigh 60 kilos.

"It got steep in the last two kilometres so if you made a move before that and you're on the flat it's not so smart. I let the guys do a couple of little attacks first so they could wear each other out and then I made my move."

Asked about the freezing temperatures and near-blizzards van Garderen said, "I don't think this was the worst I've had, there was a stage in last year's Pais Vasco that was a lot more difficult, but it was definitely very harsh conditions. In California [which he won last year] it was very hot, that's true, but I seem to do well in these adverse conditions."

As for the rivals he managed to beat today - amongst them the winners of the 2007, 2009 and 2013 Tours - van Garderen said he was proud of his success. "It's my first WorldTour win. There are Grand Tour winners here like Froome and Contador and it's a huge honour to be riding alongside those names."

Overall, with Rodriguez only ahead by four seconds of Contador and 11 riders at a minute or less of the GC leader, it seems all but impossible that there will be no more attacks on the Katusha rider between here and Barcelona on Sunday. Contador's director for one, Philippe Mauduit, was not revealing as to how they might yet dislodge Purito, already the winner of the Volta in 2010, but was clearly in a gung-ho mood despite Thursday's virtual stalemate.

"There's definitely still a lot of terrain for attacking and this race definitely going to go down to the wire, all the way to the finish in Montjuic in Barcelona," Mauduit told Cyclingnews. "Time bonuses, too" - ten, six and four at each finish from now on - "will be crucial. But I'm not saying what our strategy will be, though, that would be giving too much away.

"It's not going to be easy, the toughest stages are behind us now. But we haven't surrendered yet."

Or as van Garderen, now third overall behind Rodriguez and Contador put it, "There's not many opportunities left now, but whatever opportunities there are, we're going to take it."

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