World number one for two consecutive years, and three of the last four, it is a strange anomaly that Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) had not won an overall stage race since 2011.

But the Spaniard shook the monkey from his back with a slender victory at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, maintaining his four-second lead over Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) on the final day of the race.

And Purito will now look to break an even bigger duck as he targets a maiden Grand Tour victory at the Giro d’Italia in May to add to a hugely impressive palmares.

The way he held off his rivals, most notably Contador, who made several feisty attempts to overhaul his compatriot’s small lead and follow Tirreno-Adriatico with another overall success, provided plenty of cause for optimism.

What else did the Volta a Catalunya teach us? Here are five observations from the final stage of the race.