The second stage in the Volta Cyclist a Catalunya has ended in a sprint as expected. The GC riders of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, Steven Kruijswijk and George Bennett, finished the 175 kilometre long stage to Valls without any problems. Robert Gesink unfortunately abandoned the race due to knee problems.

The riders reached the finish about an hour later than scheduled. Sports-director Grischa Niermann called it a treacherous stage. “There was a lot of wind and a there was a serious danger for echelons. There were several dangerous points throughout the stage, but the boys were where they were supposed to be, in the front. On the final climb, half of the peloton was dropped, though both Stevie and George were well positioned in the front. All in all we got through the day without problems. It’s just a pity that we lost Robert. Considering the races that are yet to come, we pulled him out of the race to be safe.”

The next three days, Niermann expects a serious battle for the general classification. “Tomorrow we’ll head into the mountains and then it’s up to Stevie and George. Tomorrow will be cold and windy. There are rumours that the stage will be shortened, but that doesn’t change our plan. The coming three days are going to be very difficult and we will do everything we can to achieve a good classification with our two GC riders.”