The closing stage in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya started and finished in Barcelona. After 75 kilometres the peloton entered the local circuit, which they had to cover eight times. Each lap was 6.4 kilometres long. Three escapees started the first lap with a 1’30” gap, while Movistar kept up the pace in the peloton. Just before the penultimate lap, it all came together. Valverde tried to escape at the Montjuïc but he got caught. A second attack from Dan Martin came to an end five hundred meters from the finish line. Notwithstanding his earlier try, Valverde won the bunch sprint. Richie Porte won the GC.

The week in Spain started well for Lotto Soudal. Bart De Clercq and two companions rode together to the finish line in the opening stage. The Lotto Soudal rider was third. The threesome got a big lead from the peloton and the bunch eventually finished at 2’40”. De Clercq was in a good position for the GC. In the third stage Louis Vervaeke had an unfortunate crash. In that same stage De Clercq had to let go of the GC favourites. One day later, in the queen stage to La Molina, De Clercq took over the leader jersey. Friday he lost the jersey because of a fringale. In the overall standings De Clercq finished sixteenth at 2’48”.

“The goal was to take a stage win and finish in the top ten of the GC with Jurgen Van den Broeck," sports director Mario Aerts said. "On the first day, we were already very close to that stage win, De Clercq finished third. He tried to avoid a sprint with a late attack with five hundred meters to go. We were very close to that stage win so we started the week well. Because of the lead he had in the GC, we had a second man for the overall standings.

“When Bart had the leader’s jersey, also Jurgen Van den Broeck did everything he had in his power to keep that jersey. On Friday Bart made a mistake by forgetting to eat. The peloton fell apart in pieces. In the beginning, Bart was in the first part of the peloton but then he had a fringale. After a few quick energy gels he could restore after ten kilometres, but it was already too late.

"In the third stage he also lost time when the GC riders attacked. If he could have stayed with Jurgen Van den Broeck, he would have lost 1’12” less and he would have been closer to the top ten in the overall standings. And then there was the extra time he lost on Friday. A top ten spot was in sight.”