Vingegaard Clinches Volta a Catalunya Victory
Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard continued his strong start to the season by holding onto his lead to win the Volta a Catalunya.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider entered the seventh and final stage on Sunday with a lead of one minute and 22 seconds. The stage featured seven circuits of the Montjuic climb in Barcelona, the same location where the Tour de France will commence in July.
Australian Brady Gilmore of the NSN team won the stage in a sprint finish, narrowly beating Dorian Godon and Remco Evenepoel. Meanwhile, Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France champion, safely finished within the peloton to secure the overall victory.
French rider Lenny Martinez finished second representing Bahrain Victorious, while German Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe took third place, trailing by one minute and 30 seconds.
Competing in the event for the first time, Vingegaard had positioned himself for the overall win with stage victories on stages five and six in the Pyrenees Mountains.
This triumph follows his recent victory at the Paris-Nice race as the 29-year-old prepares to pursue a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double.
