http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-a-la-comunitat-valenciana-2017/stage-4/results/
By Cycling News February 04, 2017 2:50pm
Quintana claims stage 4 and surges into race lead in Valencia
Kudus nabs second with Antunes in third
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) delivered a warning to his Grand Tour rivals with devastating performance on the queen stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. The pint-sized Colombian climber attacked on the lower slopes of the Mas de la Costa to solo to his first win of the season, leaving the rest of the peloton trailing in his wake.
He was briefly joined on the climb by Merhawi Kudus (Dimension Data) but in reality Quintana was riding in a league of his own to take both the stage win and pull on the leader’s jersey after overturning Greg Van Avermaet's (BMC Racing) overnight lead. Quintana was almost on the podium before the struggling Belgian made it to the line after a brave but futile defence of the yellow jersey.
Even Quintana’s principal rivals in the race, David Lopez and Woet Poels (Team Sky), Daniel Martin (Quickstep Floors) and Steven Kruijswijk (Team LottoNl-Jumbo), were powerless on the mystifyingly steep climb, with its pitches of over 22 per cent.
At the line, Quintana had 40 seconds on Kudus, with Amaro Antunes (W52/FC Porto) a further five seconds back. Quintana leads the race with one stage remaining, with Ben Hermans (BMC Racing) at 23 seconds and the young Manuel Senni (BMC Racing Team) in third at 42 seconds.
It was faultless performance from Movistar all round on Saturday. When an early break went clear, consisting of Lauren de Plus (Quick-Step Floors), Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac), Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing), Igor Anton (Team Dimension Data) and Cyril Gautier (AG2R La Mondiale), the Spanish team sat back, and allowed others to ride tempo on the front.
BMC Racing, with Van Averamet in the leader’s jersey, and Team Sky duly applied. The British team, with a number of GC options in their ranks and 2016 champion Woet Poels keen to defend his title, kept the leaders in check before turning on the gas inside the final 50km.
The break rallied, with Gautier picking up the maximum number of KOM points on offer before the final climb. However with 30km remaining the gap – which had leveled off at around four minutes – dropped to less than 40 seconds as Team Sky took more control on a greatly reduced bunch.
Gilbert saw that as his cue to sit up with Anton next to drop from the break as the race headed into the final 15km. Movistar only made their presence felt with around 8km to go as they moved up in order to position Quintana.
As the break swung left onto the lower slopes of the final climb they could feel the peloton breathing down their necks and almost as the catch was made Quintana took off.
His first acceleration drew him clear before Kudus and then Antunes joined him. The Colombian barely looked back. Antunes was the first to relent with 3km remaining before Kudus, unable to take a single pull, was dispatched moments later.
The stage win was going to the Movistar man but the ease at which he rose over the steepest set of inclines was the most impressive part of all.
Brief Results
2017 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 4
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 5:02:19
2 Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Team Dimension Data 0:00:40
3 Amaro Antunes (Por) W52/FC Porto 0:00:45
4 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky 0:00:48
5 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:00:57
6 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:07
7 Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:08
8 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:01:10
9 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:01:13
10 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:01:17
General classification after stage 4
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 14:20:16
2 Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:23
3 Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:42
4 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky 0:01:02
5 Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floor 0:01:19
6 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:01:52
7 David De La Cruz (Spa) Quick-Step Floors 0:02:03
8 Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Team Dimension Data 0:02:17
9 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:02:22
10 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar Team 0:02:35
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http://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/quintana-dominates-volta-la-comunitat-valencianas-queen-stage/
Quintana dominates Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana’s queen stage
Colombian seizes race lead with one stage remaining
February 4th, 2017 by Rob Sturney | Posted in News, Spotlight
Nairo Quintana soloed to victory Saturday on the 2017 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana’s queen stage, climbing with intent on the summit finish. The Movistar rider jumped from ninth to first on GC, taking over the yellow jersey from BMC’s Greg van Avermaet.
The riders faced five categorized climbs including two Cat. 1’s, the final of which was the short but brutally steep Mas de la Costa, last seen in the 2016 Vuelta a España. Someone in the day’s breakaway would most likely win the 68th edition’s King of the Mountains.
The first breakaway attempt failed, but the second stuck, with Cyril Gautier (France/AG2R) rolling in the lead over the Cat. 2 Alto de Arenillas. This quintet kept chewing up the climbs with Gautier continuing to amass KOM points. Its lead was never more than five minutes.
By the penultimate climb, again Gautier’s to take, the gap was only 1:10. The breakaway began to lose fugitives as the Sky-whipped, streamlined peloton drew closer.
The Mas de las Costa is 3.9-km of 12.8%, but the final 2.4-km is at 20.8%, a veritable wall. Last year in the Vuelta, Mathias Frank, now with Guatier’s AG2R, was victorious on its brutal slopes for defunct IAM Cycling. The winner of that race, Quintana, was familiar with its ramps.
Guatier and two breakmates made it onto Costa before the field arrived. Immediately, Quintana attacked, bringing two riders with him. Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) lit out in pursuit.
Merhawi Kudus (Dimension Data) was the only one who could stay with Quintana, but eventually the Eritrean couldn’t hold the Colombian’s wheel. Quintana finished 40-seconds ahead of Kudus. The surprising Amaro Manuel Antunes (Portugal/W52-FC Porto-Porto Canal) came third and defending champion Wout Poels (The Netherlands/Sky) fourth.
Antoine Duchesne of Direct Energie was top Canadian in 35th.
2017 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 4
1) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) 5:02:19
2) Merhawi Kudus (Eritrea/Dimension Data) +0:40
3) Amaro Manuel Antunes (Portugal/W52-FC Porto-Porto Canal) +0:45
35) Antoine Duchesne (Canada/Direct Energie) +5:40
2017 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana GC
1) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) 14:20:16
2) Ben Hermans (Belgium/BMC) +0:23
3) Manuel Senni (Italy/BMC) +0:42
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C31F2QcWIAU0LeT.jpg:small
Received on Sat Feb 04 2017 - 13:00:33 EST
