VOLTA A CATALUNYA 2009

A new season means a new idea. So this year, I’m going to look back at some of my greatest hits. I hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane

My second year as a professional hadn’t started amazingly well, but before Catalunya – the last year it was held in May was in 2009 – I had managed a solid training block and was feeling good. Racing on home roads from my base in Girona, and for a young, fun GarminSlipstream team, we entered the race just to see what we could get out of it. I never could have imagined that I would come close to two stage victories and inish second on GC. It turned out to be the first of my many second places behind a certain Alejandro Valverde. It’s hard to believe that it is 10 years ago, but my memories are still vivid. The irst tough stage inished in Pobla de Lillet with short, steep climbs, a fast and technical descent and a tight corner near the inish, with a Geox rider crashing just after the line. The following day was a slog through the mountains, inishing above 2,000m on the Port de Cabus. I now live at the bottom of the climb, in Andorra, and regularly cross what was the inish line, where I dropped Valverde and came agonisingly close to catching the one guy remaining from the early break to win the stage. The last stage was held on the Catalunya motor racing circuit, complete with podium in front of a largely, empty grandstand. But that bit was irrelevant to 22-year-old me.