In every race, Eoghan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) is steadily recovering from his terrible accident in 2022. He finished second in Saturday's Volta a Catalunya behind winner Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates).

Remaining in the 10-man lead group that formed on the tough climb of the Pradel Pass, Bernal jumped out in the final stages behind Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) and Mikel Landa (Sudar-Quick Step).

Pogachar, the Slovenian star, was just out of Bernal's reach. However, after Landa waited for the Ineos Grenadiers rider, the two chased in a two-man duo until the finish.

Bernal then showed enough strength to snatch the time bonus from Landa at the summit, and combined with the result of pulling away from his rival, he quickly moved up six places to third overall.

Thanks to a late break, Colombian Bernal is now also a minute ahead of Alexandre Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe), who was previously third, and if not for a mishap on the Montjuïc stage, Bernal could have matched his previous third place overall in the 2019 Volta He could well match his best result to date, when he finished third overall in the 2019 Volta.

"It was a very tough stage, I was in good shape throughout the whole stage, and when Taddej attacked, I didn't even try to follow him because [he] was on a different level," Bernal told reporters later.

"But I felt good in the group behind, I was able to jump out in front and catch Landa. We were working really well. There was a headwind and he was waiting for me. So I have to thank him."

Bernal said of Pradel, where the race was very divided, "It was really tough. Some of the stages of the Vuelta a España were really hard."

"But it was very difficult. When you feel strong, you feel better on the climbs."

Bernal said he received a lot of support from fans in his fight to get back to the top level, and that hearing so many cheers on the climb, especially on Saturday when there were more spectators than usual, boosted his morale.

"At the end of the stage, there were so many people on the street, it almost made me emotional," he said. Volta is always my very favorite race."

This year, Bernal finished fifth in the Tour Colombia, third in Au Grand Camino, and seventh in Paris-Nice, but after stage 6, he said he did not go into the Volta with particularly high goals.

"I didn't expect this," he said. But he still recognized that what he was doing now was solid progress.

"I have to keep my feet on the ground, and there is still a lot of work to do, but I've definitely taken another step forward," he concluded.