Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk and Primoz Roglic weren’t able to finish the queen stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya among the best overall riders. Gesink attacked on the final climb to Port Ainé, but didn’t hold his advantage. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) won and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took the overall lead.

“It was difficult for us to be part of the early breakaway,” sports director Frans Maassen said after the fourth stage. “We had three riders at less than two minutes behind , so they couldn’t get enough space. We expected a stage win by one of the overall riders because of that.”

Hardness
That didn’t happen. Thomas De Gendt, who was part of the breakaway, stayed out of the clutches of the overall riders. In the chase to the last escapees, Robert Gesink broke out of the group with the race’s main guns. He stayed in front of them for several kilometres. 

“I knew that it wasn’t going to be for the stage victory, but I’m satisfied with my performance today,” Gesink said. “I don’t have much race hardness yet. It seems that I need more of that now than I did in the last years, when I was able to reach a very high level with just training. An athlete’s body changes through years of giving everything and working hard.”

Gesink and Kruijswijk finished four minutes after stage winner De Gendt. “We must forget the general classification now,” Maassen said. “We are going to race more aggressively in the upcoming days. Tomorrow is chance, but it’s probably going to be a big fight to enter the breakaway.”