Ethan Vernon finished off an impeccable team performance on stage 2 of Volta a Catalunya as he won the uphill sprint in Figueres.
The 24-year-old Brit knew today’s parcours offered a good opportunity for him, and he had high hopes going into the stage. However, Vernon had to overcome a stressful moment when he lost contact with the main field on one of the climbs halfway through the stage.
“It wasn’t an easy day. Some of the other teams made it hard on the climb, so I suffered a bit. I rode quite hard though, and, in the end, I came back thanks to Itamar’s great work, who brought me back in good condition,” Vernon explains.
Once back in the peloton, Vernon knew he had a good shot at winning the stage, and the team did everything to put him in the best possible position for the hard finish.
“George, Nick, and Corbin were really good in the last few kilometers, they timed it to perfection. Corbin launched the sprint and left a gap open for me, so he was crucial.
“Sometimes when I sprint, I know I don’t have good legs before, but when I launched this one with a tailwind, I knew the legs were quite strong. I was quite confident of holding on to the line, but in the end, I had to go a bit earlier. So I wasn’t sure if I’d gone too early, but it was just at the right time. I’m really grateful for all the work the team did for me today. I think everybody chipped in, and this win is for the whole team.”
With today’s victory, Vernon is now second in the points classification and will wear that jersey on tomorrow’s first big mountain stage of the race. IPT’s leader for the general classification, Matthew Riccitello, finished with the main group and will have the opportunity to play his cards on the mountaintop finish to La Molina.
