Magnus Cort Claims Stage 2 Victory at Volta a Catalunya
Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) secured a sprint victory on stage 2 of the Volta a Catalunya in Banyoles, holding off Noa Isidore (Decathlon-CMA CGM) after the peloton reeled in the final breakaway rider, Liam Slock (Lotto-Intermarché), just one kilometer from the finish line. Cyclingnews and Ekstra Bladet reported on the thrilling finish.
Race Recap
Cort launched his sprint with 150 meters remaining of the 167.4km stage from Figueres, overtaking Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) who had made a powerful move with 350 meters to go. Isidore and Francesco Busatto (Alpecin-Premier Tech) finished closely behind, although stage 1 winner Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) secured fourth place.
“It was a difficult stage. Coming down from Olot, there was a lot of fighting for positions on the downhill. I didn’t like it too much, so I was a bit far back,” Cort stated after the stage, as reported by Cyclingnews. He credited his team for their support, highlighting Anders Skaarseth’s effort to bring him to the front in the final kilometers and Anthon Charmig’s lead-out work.
Final Kilometers and Breakaway
The stage saw a breakaway attempt by five riders: Liam Slock and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto Intermarché), Julen Arriolabengoa (Caja Rural Seguros RGA), Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Samuel Fernandez (Euskaltel Euskadi). Tuttobiciweb detailed how the breakaway built a lead of up to three minutes before being caught by the peloton in the closing stages.
Slock and Veistroffer were the last to be absorbed by the bunch, with Slock being caught just before the final kilometer. The chase was led by teams including NSN Cycling Team, EF Education-EasyPost, and Soudal Quick-Step.
General Classification
Dorian Godon retains the overall race lead, holding a 10-second advantage over Magnus Cort. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is third, four seconds behind Godon, and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) is fourth, six seconds back. Cort now sits second tied on time with Godon.
Results