MADRID, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Alvaro Hodeg (Quick Step Floors) won a sprint finish to claim the first stage of the Volta de Catalunya (Tour of Catalonia) cycle race on Monday.
The 21-year-old Colombian took advantage of an efficient lead-out from his team to finish several meters ahead of the rest of the pack in a rapid finish to the hilly 152 kilometer first stage which started and finished in the seaside town of Calella.
Hodeg finished ahead of Irishman, Sam Bennet and Jay McCarthy, who both ride for the Bora-Hansgrohe team, to also take the overall race leader's jersey thanks to a 10 second time bonus for the stage winner.
The last 17 kilometers of the stage were incredibly fast as the race descended from the summit of the only categorized climb of the day and the experienced Quick-Step riders hit the front with around three kilometers to go to leave Hodeg in a position where his pace in the last 250 meters was enough to carry him over the line.
Until the final kilometers the race had been dominated by the powerful Movistar team of 2017 winner, Alejandro Valverde, who looked to protect both Valverde and the Colombian climber, Nairo Quintana on a day affected by winds averaging around 25 kilometers an hour, but the Movistar riders took their feet off the pedals once inside the last 3 kilometers where any incidents such as a fall would not have meant any time differences.
The 'Volta' is one of the most important early season stage races in the cycling calendar and is often used by riders looking for form for the spring classics in Belgium and the Giro de Italia in May.
Tuesday's second stage will see more climbing as the race starts in Mataro, north of Barcelona and covers 176.6 kilometers to the finish in Valls.
