While Chris Horner is still looking for his best form after his recent Achilles tendonitis, Przemyslaw Niemiec took over the captaincy role for Lampre-Merida in Volta a Catalunya. For the second year in a row, the Pole shined in the Spanish race when he finished 10th in the first mountain stage of the race.

One year ago Przemyslaw Niemiec kick started a fantastic spring season that culminated with a 6th place in the Giro, when he finished in the top 10 in the Volta a Catalunya. If those results can be used as a gauge, the Pole is on his way to another excellent showing in May after he again impressed in today's first mountain stage of the Spanish race.

Despite being up against the top 4 from last year's Tour de France, Niemiec managed to finish 10th in today's first mountain stage of the race. After working for Rui Costa in Paris-Nice, the Pole is now on his way to a personal top result.

While Niemiec were battling with the best, Chris Horner had a more anonymous performance, finishing back in 37th. The American is just coming back from an Achilles tendonitis that forced him to withdraw from Tirreno-Adriatico.

"Our riders are have a good fitness level but are still a step below the 4 or 5 best athletes in the race," sports director Joxean Fernandez Matxin said. "Today's finish - almost a kiometre of uphill sprint - has clearly shown this, with Niemiec who was brilliant and managed to take a top 10 against a very strong field.

"For Horner, today's stage was a good test to understand the recovery after his small break. I would say that the result is more less as he had himself expected."

You can read our preview of the fourth stage here and follow our live coverage at 15.15 CET on CyclingQuotes.com/live.