Andreas Kron starts the Volta with a surprise
March 22 nd 2021 - 19:08
Calella (22-03-2021). –
The 100th edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya has started with a surprise. The young Danish Andreas Kron (Lotto-Soudal), 22 years old, has been the winner of the first stage, of 178.5 kilometers starting and finishing in Calella, and positioned himself as the leader after winning the sprint of a late group of escape, beating veteran Luis León Sánchez (Astana) before a time trial day that will begin to define the general classification.
The initial day of the Catalan race has been, as always, demanding with a mid-mountain route through Montseny, including the difficulties of the Port of Les Guilleries (2nd category), the Port of Santa Fe del Montseny (1st category) and the Port of Collsacreu (3rd category), which have made suffer more than one of the illustrious names who appeared at the starting line of this historic edition of the Volta.
After a quick start to the stage, a group of four escapees stood out with Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto-Soudal), Natnael Berhane (Cofidis), Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) and Gotzón Martín (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who have consolidated with a 4 minute lead during the first half of the stage, despite the insistence of teams like Kern Pharma to have a presence in the group.
The Bora-hansgrohe team controlled the group looking for a favorable arrival for the triple world champion Peter Sagan, but the race has hardened in the ascent to Santa Fe del Montseny with a strong rhythm of Movistar Team, which has cut Sagan and It has put in troubles big names like Richie Porte (Ineos-Grenadiers) or Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step). Finally, the Slovakian has lost all his options to win the stage while the breakaway was also attacked by the peloton, resisting only the Belgian Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto-Soudal) in an effort that has earned him the lead in the mountain classification.
Finally, the ascent to the Port of Collsacreu has been decisive, with several attacks that have ended up with a group escaping with Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe), Luis León Sánchez (Astana), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Soudal) and Rémy Rochas (Cofidis), who ended up fighting for the stage in a reduced sprint with 16 seconds ahead of the bunch, made up of about eighty cyclists. The victory has been for Kron, the youngest of the group and the first leader of the Volta 100.
Tomorrow will be the turn of an individual time trial in the Pla de l'Estany (Banyoles) of 18.5 kilometers in the second stage that has to begin to define the general classification among the main candidates for the final victory.