Volta a Catalunya: Simon Yates wins final stage, Valverde takes overall

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) had to fight every metre of the way to win his third Volta a Catalunya in a dramatic, crash-ridden finale that saw second-placed Egan Bernal (Team Sky) abandon the race injured, and Simon Yates (Michelton-Scott) take the stage win.

The defending champion responded personally to several attacks by Bernal and Yates on a tumultuous series of multiple 6.6-kilometre laps of the slippery, hilly final circuit through the Montjuic Park in Barcelona.

Yates went clear first with teammate Daryl Impey, then formed a four-rider attack with another Michelton-Scott rider, Carlos Verona. He finally dropped Valverde’s teammate Marc Soler - who had beaten the Briton recently in Paris-Nice - to claim the stage win alone.

Valverde, however, remained the overall leader, taking the Volta a Catalunya ahead of Nairo Quintana - the overall winner in 2016 - and Pierre LaTour (AG2R La Mondiale). It was Valverde’s third stage race win of the season, after the Volta a Valencia and Tour of Abu Dhabi. Next stop: the Ardennes.

"It's been a very hard-fought race, and overall we did very well," Valverde said, "with me in first, Nairo second, Marc fifth and second on today's stage and the teams prize. I'm just sorry about what happened to Bernal.

"It's just sad proof that we are right to say something is never won 'til you cross the final finishing line."

Valverde's third overall win has enabled him to draw equal with Spanish great Miguel Indurain, who won the Volta a Catalunya three times in the late eighties and early nineties. "I'm starting to get to the point where I win records now, and I never expected it."

The early part of the 154-kilometre stage was relatively quiet, although there were two high-profile abandons: Esteban Chaves (Michelton-Scott) quit after a crash, and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), briefly the race leader after his stunning stage 3 victory, also went home.

Meanwhile Valverde and Bernal continued their 'battle of the bonuses' with Valverde snatching three seconds over two intermediate sprints, and Bernal one. Then as the race moved into its final third, eight riders broke away: Jhonatan Narvaez (Quick Step), Bram Tankink (NL-Loto) Rolland (EF) , Pablo Torres (Burgos-BH), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) Johannes Frohilinger (Team Sunweb), Willem J Smit (Katusha) and NIcholas Shultz (Caja Rural).

Michelton-Scott were initially the keenest to close down the dangerous-looking break, but the real game-changer proved to be when 2017 Volta stage winner Daryl Impey (Michelton-Scott) bridged across to the eight leaders, and as soon as the break was finally closed down Impey promptly charged away again.

Narvaez, an impressively strong Mohoric and Schulz were also able to avoid the peloton’s clutches for a little longer, and then more riders got across with 30 kilometres to go, including Marc Soler (Movistar), Enric Mas (Quick Step Floors) and Sergio Henao (Team Sky). Finally Simon Yates (Michelton-Scott) also bridged across, which provoked a response by GC contenders Valverde and Egan Bernal.

In a flurry of moves and counter moves, Bernal made one surging attack that was clamped down by Vavlerde, and finally, with two laps to go, Yates made it off the front alone with Verona and Mohoric. Shadowed by Soler, behind Movistar kept the remainder of the favourites under control.

Then whilst Bernal's crash alongside Jose Joaquin Rojas and - reportedly - Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), saw the talented young Sky rider abandon within sight of the biggest result of his career to date, Valverde came home safely in the main pack in ninth place, for a third overall victory.

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