Volta Ciclista a Catalunya

Twenty years after it last featured on the route of the Spanish race, when it hosted an individual time trial, the Boi Taüll climb was used again, this time at the end of a hard stage that contained three classified ascents which ended up landing a blow to many of the GC contenders’ aspirations.

Despite being in just five men following the abandons of Fausto Masnada and Pieter Serry, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl did a great job in positioning Ilan Van Wilder at the front of the peloton in the run-in to the final climb, which averaged 5.8% over 14 kilometers. Taking the riders above 2000 meters, Boi Taüll was always going to be a tough cookie, and the pace pushed by several teams at the front didn’t make things easier, putting many riders in difficulty.

Ilan was among those to lose contact four kilometers from the top, but expertly paced himself and didn’t concede too much time, concluding the stage less than a minute down on João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), who took the victory. This strong effort helped the Belgian remain in the top 20 overall with three days to go at the World Tour event, which once again concludes in Barcelona.

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