Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r) took a rare victory when he used a combination of smart tactics and good climbing legs to outwit 6 rivals at the end of a dramatic third stage of the Volta a Catalunya. After Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) had crashed out of the lead group and Chris Froome (Sky) had been dropped, a 7-rider group was formed and with less than 2km to go, the tiny Italian launched a well-timed attack to take a solo win. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) finished in the main group and so takes the overall lead on the eve of the queen stage.

Domenico Pozzovivo has proved that he is one of the best climbers in the world but despite his climbing prowess he has taken very few wins in his career. Today he finally broke a long drought that has lasted since he won a stage of the 2012 Giro d’Italia when one of his many solo attacks finally paid off in stage 3 of the Volta a Catalunya.

Pozzovivo had used his great climbing skills to make it into a 7-rider group that arrived at the finish together and he played it calmly when they hit the final flat 2.6km to the finish in Girona. While the rest of the group worked well together to increase their advantage over a big chase group that included the likes of Alejandro Valverde and Pierre Rolland, the Italian saved energy at the back of the group.

Knowing that he had no chance in a sprint against the likes of Rigoberto Uran (Etixx-QuickStep) and Daniel Martin (Cannondale) who were both in the group alongside Fabio Aru (Astana), Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Richie Porte (Team Sky) and Andrew Talansky (Cannondale), he made a perfectly timed attack just before they passed the flamme rouge. As expected, his rivals looked at each other and he quickly got a big gap.

Uran and Talansky finally got a chase organized but it was too late to get back to the tiny Italian. Pozzovivo held on to win the stage while Uran narrowly beat Martin in the sprint 3 seconds later.

It was a very short and intense stage," Pozzovivo said. "The climbs were not too steep and we had to handle the many difficulties. We also had a lot of wind and the whole peloton was pretty nervous. It was necessary to prevent crashes and stay vigilant in the technical parts. The last first category climb was made at a rapid pace and we ended up in a seven-ride group. On the descent, the Cannondale riders took things in hand, nobody wanted to take the initiative. 

"To win, I had to anticipate. In the group, six riders were faster than me in the sprint. Catalonia is decided by seconds and  I should not hesitate.

"Honestly, it was a dream to win on the WorldTour and now it's done. I had already won at the Giro (2012), but I was never won with Ag2r. It's done and I'm proud. A lot of riders present in Catalonia will be at the Giro. It's good for the confidence.

"It's ironic, but I think tomorrow's stage is the one that is best for me. The goal is to be on the podium of the Tour of Catalonia or do even better. It must be a hard race to get time timw on the three riders who escaped in the first stage. But I think we are on the right track."

"It feels good, Pozzovivo tried and he did well," sports director Didier Jannel said. "A victory in the UCI WorldTour has a special flavor. We must not forget that he had an operation in January to remove the plates from his leg. We suspected that Contador would ride very quickly on the penultimate climb of the day. He showed great technique to get to the final climb with the best. 

"The tactic was to accompany the great leaders at the Tour of Catalonia. That he managed toanticipate them is very satisfying. In the leading group, the strong men looked at each other. There is a beautiful field with Froome and Contador and we were not afraid. 

"We'll see what happens during tomorrow's.Romain (Bardet) suffered after yesterday's ctash but nothing is lost. He will try his luck in the stage but also to move up on GC."