Arnaud Démare won the final stage five bunch sprint at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2021 to cap off a week that saw Groupama-FDJ win four out of the five stages, as well as the general classification.
The French national champion outclassed the rest of the sprinting field, taking both of the bunch finishes on offer at the race, on this occasion beating Jon Aberasturi (Caja-Rural Seguros RGA) into second and Timothy Dupont (Bingoal Pauwels Suaces WB) took third.
Lotto-Soudal's Caleb Ewan had to settle for sixth, opting for Dupont's wheel in the run-in instead of his lead-out man John Degenkolb, the Australian then finding himself crowded out as the Belgian came across the road and opened his sprint for the line.
Küng held on to take the overall victory, untroubled by runner-up Movistar's Nelson Oliveira, the Portuguese rider six seconds in arrears. The Swiss rider's time trial win on stage four, where Enric Mas was unceremoniously dumped out of the leader's jersey with a puncture in the final kilometre, was enough to see him assume the top spot and take the first stage race victory of his career.
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After Miles Scotson had taken a solo win on stage one, it was only the Spaniard Enric Mas who prevented a clean sweep of Groupama-FDJ wins, the Movistar rider having won the solitary summit finish of the race on stage three.
Results
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2021, stage five: Paterna to Valencia (91.2km)
1. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, in 1-56-25
2. Jon Aberasturi (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, at same time
3. Timothy Dupont (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
4. Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis
5. Colin Joyce (USA) Rally Cycling
6. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Soudal
7. Alex Molenaar (Ned) Burgos-BH
8. Bram Welten (Ned) Arkéa-Samasic
9. Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Lotto-Soudal
10. Franceso Di Felice (Ita) Mg.k Vis VPM, all at same time
Final general classification
1. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ, in 12-53-26
2. Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar, at six seconds
3. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, at 36s
4. Victor Lafay (Fra) Cofidis, at 45s
5. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, at 1-01
6. Luis Ángel Maté (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1-37
7. Rémy Mertz (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB, at 1-53
8. Rémy Rochas (Fra) Cofidis, 2-03
9. Miles Scotson (Aus) Groupama-FDJ, at 2-26
10. Matis Louvel (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, at 2-43
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