Pro cycling is a sport full of hardmen – ultimately to take on some of the fierce climbs and gruelling distances they do, you have to be. But some riders seem to adopt a masochistic attitude towards their job, with a few riders in particular defying the pain barrier to ride on stage one of the Volta a Catalunya. Step forward Pavel Brutt (Katusha) and Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE).
Brutt and Clarke, less than 24 hours after completing seven hours in the saddle in the cold and wet of Milan-San Remo, were back in action on stage one. Clarke’s team-mate Brett Lancaster also started Milan-San Remo before taking his place in the peloton in Catalunya. And all three, despite their exertions the previous day, finished safely in the bunch – coping with the day’s climbs no problem. Chapeau gents!
