Sergio Higuita and the Bora-Hansgrohe team defended their overall lead and pulled off their biggest stage race to date.

The two riders who lined up next to 24-year-old Higuita on the final podium, Richard Calapaz (Ineos Grenadier) by 16 seconds and João Almeida (UAE Emirates) by 52 seconds, were both stage winners.

But despite missing out on the stage win, Higuchi's tenacious shadow when Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) and Almeida split the race in Boi Tauer, coupled with a brilliant 2-up with Calapaz on stage 6, gave the Colombian a 2019 first victory since the Vuelta a España stage.

Since then, Iguita has won two national championship titles and placed third in Paris-Nice and the 2020 Tour of Colombia.

However, his win in La Volta, which earned him both the mountain and best young rider awards, made it clear that Iguita, who moved to Bora-Hansgrohe in the winter, could be a young Colombian rider who consistently performs well at higher-level races.

"These wins are out of this world," said Higuita, who turned pro in Europe with Euskaltel Euskadi for a few months in 2019 before moving to EF Education First for the rest of that season.

"I finished second in the 2019 Tour of California behind the great Tadei Pogachar and did well in other GC events, including fourth in the Tour de Pologne.

"Then I learned how to handle the pressure of being a leader by winning in Colombia and doing well in Paris-Nice.

"Those lessons helped me a lot today when I was under attack from all sides. Together with my team, all the riders helped me in the finale.

It is worth noting that Higuita was one of the few GC riders in a good position who did not attack at all in the final stage.

On the other hand, he was not dropped at any point, unlike his rivals Calapaz, who surprisingly lost time on the last lap, and Quintana, who briefly lost time.

However, Higuita admitted that after so much effort on Saturday, he was particularly worried about the final stage.

"Fortunately, everyone was really on the edge today, not just me," he said. And it worked."

Ultimately, Higuain's regularity proved to be one of the keys to his success, but only, of course, when combined with that daring attack alongside Calapaz on stage 6.

"It was a really tough race ...... Stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, stage 5, stage 6. And today was really tough too. I like circuits with a lot of hills. Every lap there was a little climb, so it was really tough, and it's the circuit that suits me best."

Higuchi paid tribute to Bora-Hansgrohe's team, saying that changing teams was very beneficial for him and that the first few months went well.

However, despite his strong early season form, he ruled out competing in the Giro d'Italia, leaving the Vuelta a España as his main Grand Tour target for the year.

"Bora is a gamine team, very organized in terms of rosters and race lineups.

In any case, regarding his own future, Higuita has no intention of limiting himself to either the Grand Tours or the hilly classics.

"These days, I can do both races well," he said. Look at Tadei Pogachar or Primosz Roglic." Like Tadej Pogachar and Primusz Roglic, they have won both stage races and one-day races. Whether it's a breakaway like Saturday, a time trial, or a mountain finish. To win races these days, you need to be flexible."

As an example, Higuita cited the Giro d'Emilia, a one-day race, as the circuit most similar to the final decisive stage of the Volta a Catalunya through the Parc Montjuïc.

And he said that his experience at that Italian classic was his most useful source of information on how to defend his World Tour lead on Sunday's punchy series of climbs.

"I like these circuits and it reminds me of the super hard Emilia circuit where I finished third in 2019.

Iguita, the fifth Colombian to win the Volta a Catalunya and the first since Miguel Angel Lopez in 2019, was part of the select group created for the first time thanks to Alvaro Mejía, who won Catalunya with the Motorola team in 1993 He was predictably pleased to be a part of it.

Iguita, however, rates this victory above any other in his career, including his stage finish in the Alto do Marhão at the Volta ao Algarve this past February and his stage win in the Sierra of Madrid at the 2019 Vuelta a España. He also declined to say whether he values it more highly than any other victory of his career.

"Cycling these days is very hard in any race, whether it's the medal I won in my first race in 2004 when I was 7 years old or my most recent victory, they are all important.