Just two days after the conclusion of Milan-San Remo, from March 18th to 24th, came the Catalonia Grand Prix, the third of the seven great stage races of the World Tour.
The race was held in Spain.
Since Pogačar of the UAE Team had announced his race calendar for the year well in advance, the leaders of other teams naturally steered clear of the race.
After all, everyone in the peloton knew that in any multi-day race featuring one of the "Mars People"—with the exception of the Tour de France—they were all just competing for second place.
But no top-tier team is stupid. Nor would any team be foolish enough to send their own star rider just to finish second.
This was especially true when they saw the UAE Team's lineup for the Catalonia Grand Prix. Perhaps angered by Pogačar's mere third-place finish at Milan-San Remo, the team sent a squad that could only be described as a trial run for their Tour de France roster.
Leader: Pogačar
