Primoz Roglic hits back at Evenepoel winning Catalunya queen stage: "It has been a long time since I had to put in such a big effort, but I enjoyed it"

Primoz Roglic started stage 5 of the Volta a Catalunya as the closest competitor for Remco Evenepoel. Most assumed the World Champion had the upper hand into the final summit finish of the race, but Roglic struck back to win the stage.

The battle in Lo Port kicked off with Evenepoel's attack halfway up the ascent. The two looked evenly matched, and instead relying on UAE Team Emirates' pace to guide them towards the finish where the differences were to be created. It came down to a sprint, a very long one in fact. However unlike in La Molina, Roglic had the most power this time around.

It was a 300-meter long sprint atop a brutal climb. Evenepoel completely blew up in the final meters, whilst Roglic survived and took the victory. “It has been a long time since I had to put in such a big effort, but I enjoyed it. I am very happy with this victory," he detailed.

With stage 6 being slightly cut, the battle for the Volta a Catalunya victory should not be reserved for the final day of racing. Roglic is not yet completely safe, as the 10-second gap over Evenepoel could quickly be cut under the right circumstances.

“There are still a few tough days ahead. Tomorrow may still be fairly easy, but there are still many dangers in Sunday's stage. We are going to do our best," Roglic concluded.