Will Barta won the 5th and final stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. The Movistar American was on the run from the start, he went out alone and held his own against the platoon that was chasing him. Overall victory in the five-day competition went to Brandon McNulty.
Explosive atmosphere on the last day of the race
The final day was just 92 kilometers away and promised to be explosive. Last year decided the overall classification, so race leader Brandon McNulty knew there was no chance to relax on a day where a tough climb could set the race on fire.
Escape was formed, but McNulty doesn’t give in easily
The escape of the day was formed by Filippo Fiorelli, Will Barta, Joel Nicolau, Xavier Cañellas, Diego Pablo Sevilla and José Maria Garcia. None of these riders posed a threat to the general classification, so UAE Team Emirates allowed the group to move on. Bahrain – Victorious and BORA – hansgrohe sought to control the escape.
On the climb of the day, with 5 km at 9.3%, the peloton was divided. BORA increased the pace and Aleksandr Vlasov attacked. Pello Bilbao also made a move on the difficult climb, but McNulty responded promptly and a small group remained at the top of the climb. This group grew quickly afterwards.
Barta goes solo and wins the stage
Movistar cyclist Will Barta was alone at the front of the race. In the peloton, there were some movements, while the American maintained an advantage of around a minute with 40 kilometers to go, which reduced towards the finish.
Lidl-Trek led a chase in the final kilometers, but it wasn’t enough. Barta had strong legs on the day and, despite the small lead, he was the first to enter Valencia and cross the finish line.
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the sprint for second place in the field, followed by Vito Braet (Intermarché-Wanty).
Brandon McNulty arrived with the main group, in 15th position and secured the overall victory. The General Classification also had Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) in 2nd place and Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-Hansgrohe) in 3rd place.
Watch the arrival
Results of the 5th stage of the Tour of the Valencian Community
General Classification of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2024
