"Tadej Pogacar came like a bullet" - Nick Schultz surprises bunch with late attack to win stage 1 at Volta a Catalunya

In a thrilling finale to the opening stage of the 2024 Volta a Catalunya, Israel - Premier-Tech played their cards to perfection, securing a one-three finish.

Nick Schultz was the man to take the win, holding on in dramatic fashion ahead of the raging Tadej Pogacar with Stephen Williams grabbing third. "I don't win often, so this is very nice," recapped a delighted Schultz post-stage. "With four kilometres to go I was at the front to help Stevie Williams, but he shouted at me going into the last kilometre to go. I chose the moment and when I looked back I saw that I had a gap. But it's a long last kilometre, it felt like an eternity!"

When Pogacar attacked, Schultz looked like he began tying up. Thankfully for the attacker he just managed to hold on for the win. "I saw Pogacar come, like a bullet from the peloton," he recalls. "However, I still believed in it, but it didn't really matter where he started his sprint. I had to ride as fast as I could to the finish, because I already had that gap. If the finish had been two meters further, he would have overtaken me. I think he was going twice as fast as I was going."

"This is a great victory for me, especially because Stevie was also able to finish third," Schultz concludes. "Michael Woods is also here for the classification, so this is a very nice way to start this week. We are here with a very nice group of riders and staff, I cannot thank them enough."