Remco Evenepoel and
Primoz Roglic have virtually been tied during this
Volta a Catalunya. In all but one stage - yesterday's sprint - the two played a key role in the outcome of the day, and they start the queen stage with no time separating the two of them.
"The legs needed to recover today, so it looks good for tomorrow. I managed to save myself a lot," Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad at the end of stage 4, the only calm day in the race so far where the GC riders didn't have to go to their limit. "At the start of the stage, it was very windy. In the end, there were a lot of short technical descents where we were up front so we didn't get in trouble. I think we made the most of that day to recover."
Evenepoel made it home safely and remained second in the overall classification. He now looks forward to the summit finish in Lo Port where he is expected by many to deal a deadly blow to Roglic's lead. "I think the whole team is doing well. Hopefully that will be the case tomorrow. It is up to us and Jumbo-Visma to control the race and it will be a great battle," he continues.
The final ascent is 8.6 kilometers long at 8.8%, the steepest of the three summit finishes. In La Molina his superiority was evident as he worked and still outsprinted Primoz Roglic. "If there is a day where I have a good chance of taking the leader's jersey, it's tomorrow. The final climb suits me very well. It's a steep climb, where I can fully express my qualities," he concluded.