Smukulis solos to win Catalunya opener

Gatis Smukulis wins Volta a Catalunya 2011 stage one

A dramatic last-ditch charge for the line saw Gatis Smukulis (HTC-Highroad) fend off the pack for the first pro win of his career and the overall lead in the Volta a Catalunya's hilly opening stage.

Better known as a Classics rider, the 23-year-old Latvian formed part of a day-long break that inched clear in the first hour of racing on rugged terrain inland of the start and finish town of Lloret de Mar. And unexpectedly, the break stuck.

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