Volta a Catalunya: De Gendt wins shortened stage 3

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) took a solo victory in stage 3 at the Volta a Catalunya, a huge performance that earned him the overall race lead and mountains jersey. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) led the chase group in for second place ahead of Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) in third.

De Gendt now leads the overall classification by 23 seconds ahead of overnight leader Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) is third at 29 seconds back.

"When I attacked I got more than two minutes, but with the headwind, it was so hard to stay away," De Gendt said. "I went really full for the last 30km. I didn't think I could make it, but because I had some seconds, I really wanted to stay in the first group if they caught me. It's incredible that I stayed away."

De Gendt spent much of the shortened stage in the breakaway and then attacked to go solo ahead of the second and final climb Port de Collabos, 5km and an average of 8 per cent.

He started the stage only 12 seconds behind Valverde in the general classification but became even more of a threat after picking up five seconds in time bonuses throughout the day.

His lead swayed between 25 and 35 seconds as he closed in on the finish line, which was all he needed to ride away with the day's spoils.

A crash in the peloton in the run-in to the finish may have spelled the end of the race for Mitchelton-Scott GC hopeful Adam Yates. The Briton did not cross the line, but was awarded the same time as the peloton in the official results, and is now 35 seconds behind De Gendt.

The incident also involved Jordi Simon (Burgos BH), Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education First-Drapac).

How it unfolded

Organisers removed the key summit finish to Vallter 2000, along with two intermediate climbs, due to snow and the risk of avalanches.

The new stage 3, shortened from 199km to 153km, had just one first category climb mid-stage - the Bracons - and a second category, the Port de Collabos, 13 kilometres from the new finish in the town in Camprondon.

A breakaway emerged with three riders when De Gendt joined Clement Chevrier (AG2R La Mondiale) and Lluis Mas (Caja Rural Seguros-RGA) up the road. The group swelled to five when Mikel Bizkarra (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias) and Pablo Torres (Burgos BH) bridged across, and their gap increased to 2:30 mid-stage.

The Bracons climb was 8.6km with an average grade of just 5 per cent but with sections as steep as 15 per cent near the top. Bizkarra made the first attack one kilometre from the top, but De Gendt and Mas followed. De Gendt counter attacked and rode to the top collecting enough points to put him in the lead of the mountain classification.

Bizkarra and Mas caught back up to De Gendt in the valley toward the Port de Collabos, and they even waited for him when he took the long way through a roundabout. But De Gendt returned no favours, later dropping Bizkarra and then Mas at the base of Collabos.

Movistar, protecting Valverde's overall lead, led the peloton behind De Gendt at a decided pace that would keep him at a manageable 1:30, but the Belgian pushed his lead out to two minutes on the climb. BMC Racing, Bahrain-Merida, Mitchelton-Scott, Israel Cycling Academy and Astana moved forward to help set the pace in the headwind, but with no sense of urgency in the chase, De Gendt's gap held steady.

De Gendt reached the top of Collabos, but there was no dropping down the other side for a reprieve. After the KOM line, where he further increased his lead in the mountain competition, the road continued up a gradual 3 per cent grade for the next 12km followed by a flat one-kilometre run-in to the finish line.

The peloton shattered when Simon Yates attacked to form a four-man chase group with Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Mathias Frank (AG2R La Mondiale) and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ). But the select chase group couldn't get organised enough to bring back the Belgian.

The Volta a Catalunya continues on Thursday with stage 4's 170km from Llanars to La Molina.

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