Primoz Roglic made a late charge to take the lead from the local favourite Juan Ayuso and win the Volta a Catalunya for a second time on Sunday.
A four-time Vuelta a España champion, Roglic of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe prevailed in the final 20 kilometres to win the decisive 88km seventh stage in Barcelona and clinch the overall title, denying Ayuso victory in the city of his birth.
Ayuso, of UAE Team Emirates, entered the final day with a one-second lead after a sixth stage that was shortened because of extreme wind. He ended 28sec behind Roglic in second place and 53sec in front of another Spaniard, Enric Mas of Movistar in third.
“Beautiful, I had great fun here,” said the 2023 Volta winner Roglic, who will now turn his focus to the Giro d’Italia, which begins on 9 May. “I’m ready, the legs are ready so I was pretty much enjoying this week.”
In a finale which included six circuitous climbs up to the city’s Montjuïc castle, Roglic made his move with 22km to go, punishing Ayuso for losing position at the start of an ascent and racing away in ruthless fashion.
“It was a very tough stage, very hard fought, but I couldn’t do anything,” Ayuso said afterwards. “I touched wheels with another rider and lost position … but in any case, the climb was too long for me and he had better legs than me.”
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) finished fourth in the general classification, with France’s Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) fifth. Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) was sixth overall after finishing second to Roglic on the stage on Sunday.
Britain’s Simon Yates finished eighth in the final stage, 19sec behind Roglic, and ninth in the general classification, 1min 46sec adrift of the winner.