Stage 4 - Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana
Today was brutal. We had a super early start after a few late starts. I’d adjusted to the Spanish schedule, and then they threw a junior race start time at us!
After yesterday’s stage win in the TTT, we were feeling good and ready to tackle the most demanding stage of this year’s Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana - VCV. We were met with windy conditions that yielded an especially aggressive and fast race for the first couple of hours. It was a nonstop fight to stay at the front and out of trouble.
When we reached the more mountainous portion of the stage, the pace was relentless in the group, which caused numerous splits and regroupings.
As we reached the base of the final climb, we had a fairly large field. BMC Racing Team’s powerhouses did an awesome job taking the front, but I was in 5th or 6th position and lost them in a roundabout. On the climb, the pace was ballistic, and I could tell right away that I didn't have the legs to go with the best climbers.
I dug deep and gave everything I had. I committed a full effort all the way to the top. This race has a stacked field of great climbers, and after an extended period off, I'm satisfied with my effort and performance. I don't think I've done a day like today since June 2017 (Dauphine). There's no way to simulate an all-out effort on a final climb after 4.5 hours of demanding racing, so hopefully this will return benefits later this season.
We finished the day with Killian Frankiny taking the best young rider jersey, so massive congrats to my young teammate. He fought his way to a top 10 on an incredibly demanding day.