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Martin, Woods and Froome to Catalunya
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Goldstein: “Fitness improved since UAE”
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All-rounder Impey: “We can be really ambitious”
Israel Start-Up Nation brings its best climbers to the Volta a Catalunya. Donning the #BlueAndWhite colors of the Israeli team, Dan Martin, Michael Woods, and Chris Froome will make their appearances.
They will be supported by Canadian climber, Alexander Cataford, South-African all-rounder, Daryl Impey, Swiss super domestique, Reto Hollenstein, and Israeli road race champion, Omer Goldstein.
From mountain to race
Three ISN-riders are coming from an altitude camp on Teide to the race’s start in the coastal, Catalan town of Calella. Daryl Impey, along with Froome and Cataford, was one of them.
Impey says: “This is the first time I have done an altitude block before the race, so I am keen to see the effects from that. Hopefully, we can capitalize on the successful camp on Tenerife.”
That ambition is shared by Froome. He says: “I will be using the race as an opportunity to push the legs further towards race fitness. I love racing on Spanish roads and I am looking forward to testing myself in the mountains to see how I’ve progressed.”
Goldstein’s numbers continue to improve
Omer Goldstein is looking forward to another WorldTour-race in his race calendar. He can look back on a successful UAE Tour, where he was strong throughout the race and had the legs to set up a long-lasting breakaway in stage 5.
Relive Omer’s break-away-day in the UAE:
The Israeli road race champion says he keeps seeing improvement in his numbers. “I feel good and therefore I am looking forward to this particular WorldTour stage race. Since the UAE Tour I have been training well and I got stronger over the last few weeks. There is a lot of climbing to be done in Catalunya and I feel I am ready to perform.”
Climbs all over the place in Catalunya
Goldstein is right about the climbing in this Spanish stage race. On paper, there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities for sprinters at all.
The Volta features one ITT (stage 2), 3 stages for all-rounders with good climbing legs (stages 1, 5, and 6), and the traditional circuit race at Montjuïc Barcelona.
The two mountain-top finishes (stages 3 and 4) will determine the GC.
“We have assembled a great squad”, said Impey, the Girona-based rider who feels like he will be racing on home roads. “We can be really ambitious with our climbers, and I hope that we can pull off a big result altogether.”
ISN’s line-up for Volta a Catalunya:
(22-03 – 28-03)
- Daryl Impey
- Omer Goldstein
- Chris Froome
- Reto Hollenstein
- Dan Martin
- Michael Woods
- Alexander Cataford
DS: René Andrle, Oscar Guerrero, Rik Verbrugghe
#VoltaCatalunya #YallaISN
Photos: Noa Arnon and Bettini Photo
Video by: Sjors Beukeboom
