From Berhane to De Gendt; meet the six winners of the '100th edition' special sprints
April 20 th 2021 - 11:35
One of the novelties to commemorate the 100th edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya was the dispute of a special sprint coinciding with the passage through kilometer 100 of each stage, each baptized with the name of one of these six historical riders of the event : Sebastià Masdeu, Mariano Cañardo, Miquel Poblet, Joaquín Galera, Miguel Indurain and Alejandro Valverde.
In addition to the 3-second bonus, the winner of these special sprints received a trophy at the end of each stage. The first, in Calella, was dedicated to Alejandro Valverde (three times winner of the Volta) and was awarded by the Eritrean Natnael Berhane (Cofidis).
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (Qhubeka ASSOS) was the winner of the special sprint 100th edition of the third stage (Canal Olímpic de Catalunya - Vallter 2000), dedicated to Joaquín Galera, the historical rider with the most awards from the Volta mountain (5).
In the demanding fourth stage, between Ripoll and the Port Ainé ski station, the special sprint paid tribute to Miguel Indurain (three times winner of the Volta), and it was resolved in favor of the spanish 'Juanpe' López (Trek Segafredo).
The Dutch Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) took the baton in the fifth stage (La Pobla de Segur - Manresa), with a sprint 100th edition dedicated to Mariano Cañardo, who holds the record for absolute wins in the Volta with seven.
In the sixth stage, with the route between Tarragona and Mataró, the commemorative sprint coincided with the passage through the port of Ullastrell, and the first to cross it was the Russian Dimitrii Strakhov (Gazprom). On this occasion, it was dedicated to Sebastià Masdeu, winner of the first edition of the Volta, in 1911.
Finally, Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal) prevailed in the last sprint 100th edition, which honored Miquel Poblet, who holds the record for stage wins for the Volta (33). In addition, the charismatic Belgian rider rounded off the seventh and final day of the race with a great stage victory, escaping from Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorius) on the ramps of the Montjuïc mountain circuit.
The six winners of the 100th edition sprints completed a very special Volta, which also served to pay tribute to the great cyclists who have left their mark on the long history of the event.
PHOTO CREDITS: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (Namuss Films)
