Movistar's masterpiece
Much has been made of Quick-Step Floors’s dominance in the Classics, but at the mountainous stage races, so far it is Movistar who have set the tone. The Volta a Catalunya was their fourth GC win in 2018, with the formidable Alejandro Valverde taking the overall victory again. He added it to wins in the Abu Dhabi Tour and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
In Catalunya, the team’s triple threat – Valverde, Nairo Quintana and Paris-Nice winner Marc Soler - looked strong. While Valverde took the overall race spoils, Quintana and Soler finished in second and fifth respectively. Valverde won two stages, with the trio producing another three stage top fives. Valverde won the mountains jersey, Soler was third, and, unsurprisingly, they won the team classification.
Movistar took control on stage 2 which featured a short, steep climb late on. Thanks to Quintana cannily snaffling a time bonus in the intermediate sprint and Valverde winning the sprint, the Murcian took the race lead. With stage 3’s summit finish shortened because of snow, stage 4 to La Molina defined of the overall GC. Again, Movistar dominated; Soler was the first to attack, with Pierre Latour, to increase the pressure, before Valverde bridged across to turn the screw, with Quintana and Sky’s young talent Egan Bernal following suit. Soler distanced Latour and the chasers, before Valverde and Quintana finished off Bernal. Valverde took his second stage win.
Valverde went into the final day – a traditional circuit race centred on Montjuïc Park in Barcelona – with a 16-second lead. He battled for time bonuses with Bernal while Soler marshalled attacks elsewhere. On the second last lap Bernal came down heavily in a crash which left him with a fractured collarbone and shoulder. Simon Yates won the stage but Valverde was safe behind. It was his third Catalunya GC title meaning he is now equal second with Miguel Indurain on the list of all-time winners. Movistar were at their best.