Kämna was part of a 40-man breakaway group that had got away from the main bunch after a hard, fast start to the stage had proved very difficult to control.
While there were numerous attacks, including some from Kämna himself in a three-man solo move over the peak off the final climb of the day with Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) and Carlos Verona (Movistar), there was still over 20 riders in contention for the win as the race approached the finish in Manresa.
That was when Kämna tried his luck again, putting in a solo attack with 12 kilometres to go as the road descended towards Manresa. He got a gap as the others failed to work together to chase him and didn’t look back, using his time trial skills to stay away.
Kämna won in the end by 39 seconds ahead of Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education-Nippo), with Mikel Bizkarra (Euskatel-Euskadi) in third.
“I didn’t plan to attack in a particular place, I was waiting for the right moment and then I just went,” said Kämna.
“Before the last climb I didn’t feel so great and I wasn’t feeling so confident, so I said on the radio we should not chase so hard and let the others do the work a little bit.
“But then in the last climb, my legs felt way better than expected and I was just happy I could finish it off.”
Kämna came very close to the win on Stage 4, the last man caught from the breakaway as he attempted an unlikely tilt at the win on the queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The German explained that he had used the indecisiveness in the break to launch his final move.
“Everyone was watching one another and they were a little annoyed that we weren’t working well, so it seemed the right time to try,” Kämna said.
It was a day of consolidation for the peloton after two summit finishes on the previous two stages, with no significant change in the general classification as INEOS Grenadiers policed the main bunch.
The SBS Cycling Central broadcast of Volta a Catalunya broadcast continues tonight with Stage 6, starting at 1.15am AEDT on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
