Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s GC men took advantage of steep terrain in the third stage of the Volta a Catalunya to climb up in the rankings. George Bennett crossed the line in the first group with a team-leading 11th. Steven Kruijswijk and Robert Gesink finished slightly back in 21st and 22nd, respectively. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde won the stage to the ski area at La Molina on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.

"It was a tough day, with a lot of altitude-meters", said Steven Kruijswijk, who he lost contact with the first group in the last few hundred metres. "I know this finish, and knew it would be a long sprint to the top in the last kilometer. I just could not hang on. "

Kruijswijk feels a lot better than he did during Paris-Nice, where sickness forced him to abandon. "I'm glad I feel pretty good again. I  am not suffering from my cavities, but I must accept that I'm not in top form. After Paris-Nice, I couldn’t do much, but in view of the Giro, I am feeling better. "

Grischa Niermann

Sports Director Grischa Niermann talked about a rough day. "It took a long time before there was an escape, this meant that the stage was fast and hard. It was 70 kilometers of long attacks." A breakaway finally escaped, and the final summit was climbed three times on a circuit finish of the stage. "There were about 40 people on the first ascent, and our GC-men were there. In the descent, Stef Clement came back. On the final climb, the group fell apart and there were about 30 men left. Again Bennett, Kruijswijk and Gesink were right there."

"The last kilometer was not well marked, and therefore Bennett started his sprint a little too early. Eventually he finished 11th and he moved up to 13th place in the overall. Kruijswijk is now 15th and Gesink is 18th. That means we have caught a lot of riders, and that's a good sign. "