On the opening stage of the 2019 Volta a Catalunya, only one name really counted as Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) powered to a hugely impressive solo victory, simultaneously netting the overall lead as well as almost all the secondary classifications. De Gendt`s victory came thanks to a faultlessly calculated estimate on how much time he would need on the rolling run-in to the finish, which saw the 32-year-old with ample margin to raise his arms in victory well before the line - and then again, as he crossed it. `Yesterday [Sunday] evening, my team bosses asked me what the plan was, and I said if I had three minutes at the top of the final first category` - the Col de Formic, 56 kilometres from the finish - `then I`d be in with a good chance,` De Gendt said. He would have 3:13 at that point in the stage on Monday.ADVERTISEMENT `I knew these final 30 kilometres very well, and the wind was not blowing too hard when we went into the last part along the coast, into a headwind, and that was important. `Even with a 1:30 margin at the top of the third category afterwards` - the Colsacreu at 17 kilometres to go, at which point De Gendt had well over two minutes to play with - `I could have done it. So it all went according to plan.` De Gendt finally crossed the line with a 2:38 advantage over his lone pursuer, Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), who just fended off the rest of the field to claim the Best Young Rider`s jersey. But the rest of the jerseys, as well as the opening stage win, went to the Belgian.
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