The second day of racing in Spain saw the peloton tackle a summit finish with the climb to Vallter 2000 ending the day. It was a straightforward start with a six rider leading group escaping in the opening kilometres while all Team dsm-firmenich PostNL riders remained in the bunch, looking after Frank van den Broek for the finale. It was clear from the outset that the GC riders would compete for the stage win and they slowly reeled in the break throughout the afternoon, making the catch on the final climb as torrential rain fell. The team battled hard up the tricky ascent, with Van den Broek impressing with a good ride on his first ever competitive category climb finish; crossing the line in one of the main groups alongside some esteemed climbers.
After the stage Van den Broek said: “It was the first time for me finishing on an HC climb. The plan was for me to go full to see where my level is at in this field with a lot of world class climbers. I had great support from the guys all day and came into the last climb feeling good. Then it was just suffering to the top!”
