Banyoles, Spain: Uno-X rider Magnus Cort shook off a difficult year to win stage 2 of the Tour of Catalonia on Tuesday after a long-range breakaway was caught just ahead of the home straight.
The Dane with the handlebar moustache is best known for a star turn during the 2022 Tour de France when he was cheered all the way through stage three in his homeland while leading that stage in the polka dot jersey.
Cort said he hadn't raced well since setting off sick on last year's the Tour de France.
"It's been a year of struggles so I'm just so happy," he said.
On Tuesday, he took the lead with 100m to go, beating Noa Isidore into second and Francesco Busatto into third in an uphill dash for the line.
Nestled in behind this trio, French national champion Dorian Godon of Ineos Grenadiers maintained the overall lead after finishing fourth, with 110 riders getting the same time at the finish line.
Remco Evenepoel and Tom Pidcock remain third and fourth in the overall.
Stage 2 started in the former home town of Catalan surrealist painter Salvador Dali, also famed for his moustache, in Figueres, for a rolling 167km run to Banyoles.
It was a similar stage to Monday's but with the climb just 25km from the finish line and then downhill all the way.
"I had heart palpitations with all that downhill," said the 33-year-old Cort.
"There are lots of stages like this in Catalonia, hilly stages that finish with a sprint, so that suits me."
It didn't suit Irish sprinter Sam Bennett, who finished almost 25mins off the pace.
Wednesday's run should see Godon and Cort locked in a struggle for the overall lead again with a hilly 160km run from Mont-roig del Camp to Vila-seca.
Favourite Jonas Vingegaard will likely go on the attack on stages four, five and six in the Pyrenees. Sunday's finale takes in seven circuits of Montjuic in Barcelona where the Tour de France starts in July.
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