Marianne Vos clinched the overall victory in the 2024 Volta a Catalunya after finishing second in the final stage in Barcelona. The experienced Dutch rider from Visma | Lease a Bike had to settle for second place behind Ally Wollaston, who secured her second stage win of the race.
Starting with a one-minute lead over her teammate Riejanne Markus, Vos was cautious about her chances. The final stage covered 86.6 kilometres from Molins de Rei to Barcelona, featuring the Alt de Els Casots and Alt de Begues climbs. Despite numerous attacks, the race culminated in a sprint finish.
Vos expressed her satisfaction, saying, “At the beginning of the week I didn’t expect to win the classification, so that’s very special. After the unexpected win at La Molina, I knew the possibility was there to win the GC. We wanted to keep control in the race today and stay out of trouble. That worked out really well.”
Markus also highlighted the team’s effort: “I’m super happy with our performance. We wanted to take the initiative today because we knew we were one of the strongest teams. We had everything under control and were in every group that went away. I rode ahead for a while, but that was more to make the race tough. I’m super proud of everyone and we go home with a good feeling.”
During the race, Leonia Laubig from Primeau Vélo-Groupe Abadie made an early solo attack but was reeled in by the peloton, driven by Visma | Lease a Bike and AG Insurance-Soudal. Justine Ghekiere secured the mountain jersey by being the first to crest the Alt de Els Casots.
In the final stages, several riders attempted breakaways, including Markus, but it was Aileen Schweikart who managed to create a significant gap. However, she was caught by Loes Adegeest in the descent of the Alt de Begues. The peloton eventually regrouped, setting the stage for a sprint finish where Wollaston emerged victorious.
Wollaston was full of praise for her team, stating, “The key for us this weekend was racing as a team. Everyone was committed to the plan; we had a strategy for every stage and stuck to it, especially in the sprint stages. I can’t thank Kim and the girls enough, especially Kim in the final for setting me up for the sprint.”
Michaela Drummond of Arkea-B&B Hotels finished seventh in the final sprint. She reflected on her performance, saying, “It was a difficult day for the sprinters who were trying to overcome the climb at the 30th kilometre. My teammates positioned me perfectly. Thanks to them. I lose contact at the top of the climb, but I manage to get back into the leading group. From there I knew it would be a sprint and it was about recovering well before the end.”
AG Insurance-Soudal had a successful race overall, with Wollaston taking the points jersey, Ghekiere winning the mountain jersey, and Mireia Benito being recognised as the best Catalan rider and awarded the combativity prize. Kim Le Court finished fourth in the general classification.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Jan Boven, sports director of Visma | Lease a Bike, remarked, “I have seen a team that has made very big improvements. Yesterday was impressive, but also today they executed the plan well. Until the last three kilometres it went exactly as we had hoped, but then they lost each other. Those are things we need to fine-tune with each other, but all in all we can definitely move forward with this.”
2024 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 3 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
2024 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya GC result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
All photo credits: Sprint Cycling Agency
