All day Russian rider Sergei Chernetckii worked in a large break with teammates Egor Silin and Eduard Vorgonov. When a split came from the group, Sergei made sure he was in the front and put himself in position to contest the sprint. Sergei defied the odds and challenged for the win, taking his first WorldTour victory.
– I was in the break with Egor and Eduard. On the last climb I was concerned about a split so I made sure to stay in the front. I was watching for attacks and when it split I was in the right place. In the final I wanted to attack earlier but in the last kilometers it was full gas and there was no place to get away. Instead I could only concentrate on the upcoming sprint and today was my day! This is my first WorldTour victory and it is very big for me. I want to say thank you to my team and friends, – said Sergei Chernetckii.
Taking second and third place were Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx – Quick Step) and Maciej Paterski of CCC Sprandi Polkowice. Richie Porte (Sky) still leads on the classification with one stage still to race.
Sergei Chernetckii, age 24, joined Russian Team Katusha in 2013, coming to the WorldTour ranks from the Continental team ITERA-Katusha. While part of this team, Sergei moved to Tortosa, Spain, where he has trained and resided for three years. Known primarily for his climbing and time trial skills, Sergei Chernetckii’s growing confidence and abilities put him among the sprinters today with a winning move the final result.
– For us it was the last day we could try to show something, so we told the riders to go in the breakaway at any costs. We had to be there. There were 3 of us when the big group first went away, and then when the group split to 13, we had Sergei. I told him to keep an eye on Tejay van Garderen and be sure to stay close to him. He tried earlier to get away so he wouldn’t have to do the sprint, but there were too many attacks to get away. Then when he did his sprint, it was perfect. There was nothing to change about it. His win as a Russian rider is very important to this team. It’s a Russian victory and a WorldTour race so it’s important that we have this result at this time. Sergei now understands that he is on a high level and can compete against very strong guys. At the finish everyone was dead so he showed how strong he really is that he could come through for the win, – said team director Dmitry Konyshev.
The Volta a Catalunya concludes on Sunday with the final stage in Barcelona at 126,6 km.
Rigoberto Uran remains in 5th GC, 18″ down.
“Today the team decided to be part of the action and make it into the breakaway,” Alaphilippe said. We thought after some very hard stages in the previous days it would be the right day to go. There was a lot of wind when we entered, but we went full gas and we stayed at that level the whole day. But it was really nice to be in this breakaway, as we collaborated really well. In the final I had good legs. Carlos tried attacking with about 12km to go in the stage, but it was brought back and after that it was just constant attacking until the last kilometer. I was looking at Preidler because to me he was the freshest. When he attacked I decided to make my move and take the risk to follow him. I caught him and countered immediately. I thought I could win in that moment, but they passed me at the line. To be honest, I’m really sad about it. It was a great chance and I lost it. In cycling these opportunities don’t happen often. Last year I had another stage where I was 2nd, but it was my first year as a professional and it was easier to accept the result. This time it is a hard 2nd place to accept. But I have to turn the page and be optimistic. My condition is there. During the winter I had problems with my left knee and together with the team I decided to take the time to recover, and then I worked again to find the right fitness level. The team gave me a chance to ride in Paris-Nice and, as a French rider, this was a big boost of morale to ride in a French race alongside riders like Michal Kwiatkowski, Tony Martin, and Tom Boonen. When the team then asked me to ride this race I was over the moon. I am thankful for my selection at this race and I hope to finish my job tomorrow for Rigo, in the best way possible, and stay motivated for the Ardennes Classics and support our leader there.”
‘Today we have another 2nd place at this race,” Sport Director Brian Holm said. “But the good news is it’s clear Julian has come back strong after his knee problem. He showed his potential today and he was really close to victory. For him, it is just a question of time. The fact that we finished 2nd three times in Catalunya shows our strength as a team. Now we will stay focused for the stage of tomorrow. Rigo has been a great road captain and we are putting our full support behind him all the way to the finish line.”
