João Almeida from UAE Team Emirates conquered Volta a Catalunya and won stage 4 of the event. The competition was really fierce as he beat Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) and Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) to the pedal. The sprint was indeed very fierce as the stage concluded above the Boí Taüll snowline.
The winning trio got away from the rest of the group in the final two kilometers of the stage. Adrenaline was pumping in their veins and they were going shoulder to shoulder as they put behind race leader Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers).
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Due to their performances, each of them also got time bonuses. Almeida took the 10-second bonus though while Quintana and Higuita were awarded six and four-second bonuses. Almeida and UAE Team Emirate’s performance was spectacular, to say the least.
Almeida stated after the race:
I’ve been working hard for so long but haven’t been so lucky. I even crashed early in the stage today but it wasn’t a problem and I’m super happy to win and felt so good today.
I made a controlled effort on the climb and with Ben O’Connor in the race lead, I could ride on the wheels. I did my pace and then sprinted for victory.
The main competition will be between Almeida and Quintana as they will be fighting for each second in the last three stages of Volta a Catalunya. We will have to see who will come out victorious from the final stage around Barcelona’s Montjuic circuit. After the finale of Volta a Catalunya, Almeida will also be leading the UAE Team Emirates for Giro d’Italia.
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Featured Image Via YouTube/ Cycling Pro Net
