On a day where Movistar took most of the time in the spotlight, Lampre-Merida made a very strong performance in the first mountains stage in the Volta a Catalunya. Team leaders Michele Scarponi and Przemyslaw Niemiec only 9 seconds to stage winner Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and with both riders in the overall top 5, the team is happy to enter the queen stage with a number of options.

Lampre-Merida had high expectations for this year's Volta a Catalunya. With Michele Scarponi and Przemyslaw Niemiec just coming off strong performances in the Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, respectively, they entered the race with a two-pronged attack.

Going into today's queen stage, the team has kept its options open. Both captains were aware when Wiggins accelerated on the descent in stage 1, and even though they did not manage to follow the strongest attacks towards the end of yesterday's first stage in the mountains, they limited their damage and both ended up in the top 10.

Sports director Bruno Vicino was happy to keep its two-pronged attack ahead of today's queen stage.

"At the end of a tricky stage, we find ourselves with two athletes in the top five of the GC," Vicino said. "We can be satisfied. Niemiec and Scarponi have handled the final climb well, remaining protected and exploiting the work of their teammates, in particular Durasek. We do not rest on the laurels, but focus on the next stage."

There was, however, one cause for dissatisfaction in the Italian camp. The team's sprinter Maximiliano Richeze, had to abandon his first race for the team on European soil due to stomach problems.

Starting at 15.15, you can follow Scarponi's and Niemiec' exploits in the queen stage on CyclingQuotes.com/live.