Matthew Brennan secured the victory at the start of this year’s Catalonia tour. The only 19-year-old Brit from Team Visma-Lease A Bike prevailed on Monday in the sprint against Tibor del Grosso and Caden Groves. Lennard Kämna, who completed his first race for a year after his serious injury, did not play a role on this first stage.
The field largely held back on the mostly wet 178 kilometers around Sant Feliu de Guixols due to heavy rains around Sant Feliu de Guixols. After the start, a group of four around the Poland Danny van der Tuuk had stopped from the peloton and expanded the distance to up to four minutes.
Above all, the Ineos team did not let the outliers pull. The test of Van der Tuuk and three Spaniards was over 60 kilometers before the finish line.
Slippery asphalt, tight curves
Without Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, which was still struck to Paris-Nizza, crystallized on the tightly winding and very slippery road along the Catalonic Mediterranean coast about 30 kilometers from the finish line, from which the day winner was to come.
UAE for Juan Ayuso and Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe for Primoz Roglic, together with Ineos Grendiers, took the pace. However, Ineo’s driver Geraint Thomas had to tear down early, the teams kept the pace high on the very demanding and wavy terrain. But another secured the victory.
Del Grosso intercepted the finish line
Suddenly the Dutchman Tibor del Grosso drove away on the last two kilometers. Behind it, the young Briton Matthew Brennan rushed from the Visma Lease a Bike del Grosso team. On the rising home stretch, Brennan, with Sprinter Caden Grove on the rear wheel, pushed closer and closer to Del Grosso. Del Grosso went out – and Brennan cheered his first big profound success.
Kämna is still driving afterwards
Radprofi Lennard Kämna showed herself far from his best form after over a one -year break. The 28 -year -old tour stage winner drove as 116. With over eight minutes behind – after a 379 -day break, the sporty ambitions Kämnas are steamed anyway. The best Germans were Emanuel Buchmann as 25th and Giro-Tapappenlieger Georg Steinhauser in 45th place.
“My expectations are not particularly high. First of all, it’s about finding the racing rhythm again and getting the first race up”Kämna, who had suffered serious injuries on April 3, 2024 during a traffic accident during a training trip on Tenerife and was in the intensive care unit in the meantime. For the current season, he switched from the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe to Lidl-Trek.
On Tuesday, the second section will take over 177 kilometers from Banyoles to Figueres. The 104th Volta Ciclista A Catalunya leads from March 24 to 30, 2025 over a total of seven stages and 1188 kilometers.