Volta a Catalunya: João Almeida takes over overall classification as Ethan Vernon wins stage five
Cycling
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team have taken another win, as Ethan Vernon won the final bunch sprint of today's stage of the Volta a Catalunya. It was a chaotic finale today, with bonifications on hand seeing Almeida jump up the GC, and several attacks in the finale.
The breakaway had a tough day with strong winds and long distances on the menu. Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA), Gotzon Martín (Euskaltel - Euskadi) and Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) took to the front and lead most of the stage. Their gap reached a maximum of five minutes, but the trio was easily reeled in with 20 kilometers to go.
There was a battle for the intermediate sprint, as the overall classification is being discussed between mere seconds. João Almeida took one second in the sprint and has taken over the lead of the race, with Tobias Johannessen taking maximum time with 3 seconds, both riders climbing up with the time gained.
With the lack of a team capable of controlling the race, the final kilometers were chaotic as they featured a few gradients, with the GC riders, Richard Carapaz being one of them, active on the attack.
The attacks kept coming all the way to the line, with Arkéa managing to get some order in the final meters. It was a chaotic sprint with Guillaume Boivin launching an early move, but Ethan Vernon came along and took his first pro win in front of Phil Bauhaus and Dorian Godon.
Vernon pushed a rider in the final kilometer, and it is yet unclear if he will be given the official win.
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🏅🇬🇧Ethan Vernon (Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl) gana la Etapa 5 de la Volta a Catalunya 2022 🇪🇸 #VoltaCatalunya101 #VoltaCatalunya #Noticiclismo #Ciclismo
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