Another young American to be enjoying a successful Volta a Catalunya is 25-year-old Andrew Talansky. Second in the youth classification at last year’s Tour de France, Talansky is just one of several young riders expected to shine for a youthful Garmin-Sharp team this season. And, in just his second stage race of the season, he is proving he certainly has the credentials to do just that. In the mix on stage three, Talansky finished with Chris Froome on stage four to ensure he is still in strong contention for a podium place.
The key now then is for Talansky to keep it up. He started last season strongly with second place at Paris-Nice before his impressive ride at the Tour de France. But his season somewhat fizzled out afterwards – perhaps unsurprising if he was training to peak at the Tour. This time out however, with the potential to go even better at the Tour – particularly with the penultimate day’s time trial likely to be decisive – Talansky peaking at the Tour could see him spring a big result. His start has been encouraging, now he must follow it.
