This should be the sprinters' day here in a weak field, and maybe Hofstter or Korosec can make amends for yesterday. However the pure sprinters are now amongst the favourites with Barbier, Havik, Frame and Dzamastagic all now entering the favourites list. Who will be involved in the lead-out though and who will chase the breakaway those are the big questions today.
Break of the day includes 3 riders. Barcelo KOM Leader (4th GC 18”) Downey Nyoni
Barcelo KOM Leader (4th GC 18”) dominated the early intermediate sprint and KOM sprint winning both by large margins. The 3 leaders have 5”00 lead on the peloton and were joined by Van Vliet who attacked across the gap and spent 50km in between the leaders and the peloton but can now have some rest.
Barcelo took a commanding lead in the KOM jersey when winning the 1st category climb from Downey, Nyoni and Van Vliet. Oram jumps out the peloton to grab the 6pts left on offer and keep 2nd place overall though now 16pts behind Barcelo. The gap to the peloton is down to 4”30.
60km to go and we see a mix of teams helping to chase as the gap comes down to 2”30. Carr, Jacobsen, Morin and Osborne are all seen on the front chasing at various points and a sprint looks likely.
Nyoni ruins Barcelo run of dominating the intermediates by taking the final points of the day Van Vliet grabs 2nd.
That would be the end for the breakaway though and with 20km to go they are caught and we are heading for a mass sprint.
have taken the lead and are the ones to hold the front of the peloton from 20km to go most of the way through to 5km to go Morin and Carr doing a great job in keeping the pace high as we see no attacks of the front during this time. This leaves us in the below position as the sprint starts.
And what has happened?
Van Uden starts sprinting at 400m to go but almost immediately pulls off and leaves Havik in the wind way too early this leaves a domino effect of Dzamastagic, Smit and Restrepo battling the wind from 300m to go. The guys getting the perfect lead into it are those in rows 2 and 3 with Hofstetter and Barbier coming through with the most speed and surprisingly McGill going well through the middle. Korosec though has managed to get blocked behind a fading Welsford who doesn't seem to have the legs today and is taking out when also looking to have the speed.
Hofstetter and Barbier take the gallant Dzamastagic who has gone the longest of the front line of riders but if fading fast and the last 50m are going to be a drag race between the two. Barbier is the fast but Hofstetter has the jump on him and the gap.
Hofstetter wins! he holds off the fast finishing Barbier we get the strong McGill rounding off the podium with Frame another rider coming from the clouds to manage to grab a good result in 4th Dzamastagic was just left near the front to early by the Hilcona leadout for Havik who will be having some strong words with the team on the bus tonight after getting to the perfect position with 400m to go the team just left the best sprinter in the race on the front and it ends up costing them a top 10 as he rolls in 12th. One rider who came from even further back is Rubenis who the young Latvian barely even spotted during the sprint but finding his way into the top 10 in what most be one of the more brutal sprint finishes of the year.
[C2] Volta a Catalunya 
