Volta a Catalunya (st. 1)
Nairo Quintana and Movistar Team safe and sound after rolling opening stage in Catalunya; Bouhanni (COF) wins bunch sprint
The 2016 Volta a Catalunya started in Calella on Monday without any incidents for the Movistar Team, the traditional, 175.8km loop around Calella bringing plenty of splits yet no surprises like in previous editions. Arrieta and Laguía’s squad worked hard together all day, with the likes of Erviti, Soler, Anacona, Rubén Fernández and José Herrada bringing the day’s main breakaway to a close, avoiding risks on the rainy roads and getting through the descents with no troubles for Nairo Quintana, who debuted in Europe today.
The bunch, reduced to barely fifty riders in the section between the climbs of Collformic (Cat. 1) and Montseny (Cat. 2), about 40km from the finish, kept regrouping itself until the finish line, where a mass sprint brought Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni (COF) a clear victory. Fastmen will have another shot tomorrow at Olot’s finish, a final ‘warm-up’ for GC contenders before mountains invade Wednesday’s route. Thanks to bonuses into one of the day's intermediate sprints, Javi Moreno and Rubén Fernández -best young rider- sit in fifth and sixth overall.