A long day in the saddle ended in glory for Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), as he took his sixth victory of the season following an explosive finale on the first summit finish of La Volta Catalunya. Ayuso battled head-to-head against Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) over the final 200 metres, with the two crossing the line shoulder-to-shoulder, Ayuso taking the win by a fraction following a day in which his teammates controlled the race.
The bunch closed in on a leading trio of riders with just a few hundred metres remaining, among them Ayuso's teammate Marc Soler, who animated the final climb to La Molina, before leading out Ayuso. It was Roglič who launched first, but a searing turn of pace from Ayuso drew him level with the Slovenian as they crossed the line, with the Spaniard just edging ahead. Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) finished third. Ayuso takes the lead in the general classification with Roglič in second, and Landa third.
