MADRID, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The sixth stage of the Volta a Catalunya descended in farce on Saturday, due to dangerous weather conditions which meant the riders were unable to compete for the overall classification.

What was expected to be the decisive stage in the race was early on Saturday reduced to just 118 kilometers, with the climb of the 1,700-meter special category Coll del Pradell excluded from the stage, due to the threat of damage from high winds.

However, the strong winds at the top of the two remaining first category climbs, then saw the route again modified to two 35-kilometer laps of a circuit starting and finishing in the town of Berga, with the first of those laps neutralized.

During the first of the two circuits the riders were clearly unhappy at the decision, with Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) riding to the race director's car and saying riding two circuits was pointless, with the riders preferring to race just one lap, with the times not counting for the general classification.

Other riders such as Marc Soler and Omar Fraile backed up Roglic and the stage was reduced to one circuit with the riders racing for just 25 kilometers to decide the stage winner, which was Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) after the American rider was able to open a gap in the last kilometer, which climbed towards the finish.

This all means that Sunday's final stage into Barcelona, which ends with six circuits of Montjuic, will decide the winner with Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) going into the stage with a one-second lead over Roglic, who under nornam circumstances would have fancied his chances of overtaking Ayuso this Saturday. Enditem

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