Pantano pulls it off in Vielha Val d'Aran after a fast-paced day in the breakaway

March 23 ^rd 2018 - 09:45

Jarlinson Pantano (Trek-Segafredo) became the winner of stage 5 of the “Volta” a Catalunya, the longest in the 98th edition of the race. The course stretched over 212.9 kilometres between Llívia and Vielha in the Vall d'Aran and concluded with a win by the Colombian who was faster than his breakaway companion Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates). Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) smoothly contained the repeated attacks from his rivals in the climb toward the Vielha tunnel and remains the overall leader two days before Montjuïc.

It was a fast-paced stage, with some 52 kilometres covered in the first hour of the race. It began with Egan Bernal (Team Sky), second in the general classification, scraping 3 bonus seconds with the intermediate sprint in Puigcerdá. At kilometre 25, before the climb up to Port de Cantó, a group of twelve riders made a breakaway and began the climb, increasing their gap to four minutes.

The group made up of Wyss (BMC), Pantano and Didier (Trek Segafredo), Bidard (AG2R La Mondiale), Laengen (UAE Team Emirates), Monfort (Lotto-Soudal), Visconti and Agnoli (Bahrein-Merida), Chernetski (Astana), the Catalan rider Jordi Simón (Burgos-BH), Molina (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Bol (Manzana-Postobón), summited the Port de Cantó (hors catégorie) and Port de la Creu de Pervés (first category climb) together. At this point, the number of riders in the group started to diminish.

Pantano and Stake Laengen came out on top of the climb to the Vielha tunnel together and reached the entrance of the descent to the tunnel with a minute and a half lead over the pursuing group. At that point it seemed likely that they could be battling for the stage win. Among the favourites, the leader Valverde kept the attacks from rivals such as Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) under control.

In the final descent, Pantano showed that he was that little bit more astute and reached the finish line in Vielha just a few meters before Laengen, with the peloton closing in on them just 10 seconds behind.

“Today was a day in which we thought that the breakaway could make it, and we did a pretty good job. We were careful enough with the team to go in with two riders, and in the end Laurent (Didier) did amazingly well helping me in the last climb. This is the result of a great job,” declared Pantano, who admitted that the “Volta” is a race that he “loves”. “Whenever I have the option to choose the races in the calendar, I ask to come here. Plus, I always do well in the Montjuïc circuit and I hope to be in with a chance of winning on the day”, concluded the Colombian rider.

As for Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), the overall leader, he admitted that “the toughest part of the race is over but there are still two key days, although they are not as difficult. I think rain is forecast for tomorrow. We are 26 seconds ahead; it may or may not prove to be enough, so nothing is really definitive until we cross the finish line in Montjuïc”.

The rider from Murcia believes that his role is to “defend his position”. “He (Bernal) is the one who has to attack, as he is behind. If all goes well, the overall lead shouldn’t slip out of my hands, but anything can happen”, declared a cautious Valverde, aiming for a third “Volta” victory.