Volta a Catalunya - Thomas De Gendt: The race seems to suit me really well
Mar 29 2021 08:43 am CET
Image: Lotto Soudal logo
Lotto-Soudal's Thomas De Gendt has taken the victory of the last stage in the Volta a Catalunya, the fifth of his career in the race.
On the last stage of the Spanish race, the Belgian rider did what he does best and was part of the breakaway of the day. At the end of the 133-kilometre stage, he celebrated after crossing the finish line by himself.
"I really like the Volta a Catalunya and with five stage victories under my belt, the race seems to suit me really well," De Gendt commented. "I just like the terrain and the variety of stages. I was really disappointed that the race couldn't take place last year due to the known circumstances. Fortunately, I'm back this year and I could grab another stage win. It is my ninth participation in this stage race and I am successful on almost every occasion. So you can state that the Volta a Catalunya really is a race made for me.
"In 2013, I also won the closing stage and it feels really special to win in an iconic city like Barcelona. I have to admit that I didn't feel great the first few days into the stage race, but the past days, I could definitely feel some improvement. It turned out that I had a really good day today and that resulted in this nice stage win."
During the last lap, the Belgian made a move that left his escape companion Matej Mohoric behind and it allowed him to claim the fifth victory in the race of his career. "In the descent of Montjuïc, Mohoric always took some advantage, but he kept letting me come back," De Gendt explained.
"I knew that I had to leave him behind on the climb because on the descent, he would be the better rider and I would have to settle for second place. When the Slovenian took the lead on the final ascent, I felt that the pace dropped a bit and I decided to attack. Then I hoped he would get dropped and not come back on the descent. Luckily I was able to open up a nice gap and ride solo to victory."
#VoltaCatalunya100 Thomas De Gendt: The race seems to suit me really well https://t.co/U9jeA6M196
— CyclingPub (@CyclingPub) March 29, 2021
?Lotto-Soudal pic.twitter.com/jUtOaWY0Ei
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