Catalunya stage 5

Rubén Pérez sprinted to an excellent third place on today's fifth stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The 205k stage to Tarragona ended with a mass-sprint up a short, but sharp climb. Not surprisingly, Dumoulin won it, but Pérez wasn't far off in third. Pérez was the first to jump, trying to surprise the peloton some 250 metres out. Eventually he was caught inside the last 100, but the powerful Zaldibar-native held on to record his best result of the year. He even took out the first intermediate sprint of the day to add to his lead in that competition, so a sublime performance from him today. Other than that not much to write about. Pierre Cazaux decided to quit the race on the way to Tarragone, unknown for what reason. Minguez was active early on and got into some promising moves, but it wasn't to be. Eventually all six remaining riders finished inside the pack.

Talking about his near-miss post-stage, Rubén told the team's website: "I was the first to open the sprint as I had to take a chance (if I was going to win). If I'd waited 'till the last moment it would have been harder. That's why I tried to surprise the others with a long sprint. The ascent is really hard, and Dumoulin was really strong. I'm trying to win the intermediate sprints jersey, but Torribio is a tough rival, so I can't take it easy. The best news, though, is that I'm feeling better every day."