Roche strong in Spain despite short recovery after 300km Milan-Sanremo | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Nicolas Roche got up in the mix in the sprinting for the placings at the end of the opening stage in Catalunya today*

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Nicolas Roche got involved in the finale on the opening stage of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (2.UWT) today despite working for his team through the stage and having very little recovery time from Milan-Sanremo.

The Irish rider was brought into the Team DSM line-up for
the 300km Italian monument after some personnel changes and had just yesterday
to recover before getting back into action in Catalunya today.

And while a four-man later breakaway stole a march on the peloton today, and survived to fight it out for victory, Roche decided to mix it up back in the bunch and finished 16th on the stage.

⏪ Andreas Kron ha sorprès a tothom amb aquest gran esprint! Reviu l'últim quilòmetre amb @continental_esp!

⏪ Revive el último kilómetro con @continental_esp!

⏪ Relieve with @continental_esp the last kilometre and the victory of Andreas Kron @Lotto_Soudal!#VoltaCatalunya100 pic.twitter.com/dQR0C0ZQy5

— Volta a Catalunya (@VoltaCatalunya) March 22, 2021

Roche told stickybottle while he had done a lot of work
today to look after team leader Jai Hindley, he decided to get involved in the
sprint for placings to test himself.

“It’s good practice and it’s funny how quickly you lose
those reflexes when you don’t do the sprints so it was good to have a go,” he
said.

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Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) was also in the main
bunch with Roche, some 16 seconds behind the breakaway men.

Up front it was young Danish rider Andreas Kron (22) of Lotto Soudal who won the sprint for victory, and took the race leader’s jersey, in his first ever WorldTour race.

*Danish rider Kron, a 22-year-old in his first ever WorldTour race, took the stage win from a late breakaway and also the race lead*

Kron saw off Spanish champion Luis León Sánchez (Astana), Rémy Rochas (Cofidis) and Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe) in the sprint from the breakaway.

Some 16 seconds
later Dion Smith (Team BikeExchange) won the bunch
sprint for 5th on a day when Movistar’s pressure on the climbs thinned the
bunch down to just 75 riders.

Among those out the back was Peter Sagan; the Bora-hansgrohe rider who was 4th in Milan-Sanremo losing 8:30. Chris Froome (Israel Start-Up Nation) finished in the same group as Sagan today.

Sagan is likely carrying fatigue from
Saturday’s race, where he looked in good shape, and also missed two weeks off
the bike recently after he contracted Covid-19.

However, Froome will be more disappointed with his ride as he remains a long way off regaining any form as his comeback from his June, 2019, crash continues.

Tomorrow’s stage 2 in Spain is an 18.5km TT in Banyoles, followed by summit finishes on both Wednesday and Thursday.