Interviewed on the start line of the sixth stage of the Volta a Catalunya in Salou, Sergio Iguita made some seemingly throwaway comments to the media that hold the key to the success of cycling's most spectacular breakaway in recent months.

"I don't care about the weather," the Bora-Hansgrohe leader said as rain bounced off the microphones of reporters waiting to interview the riders under gray skies.

Four hours later, in the neighboring coastal town of Cambrils, after an epic 130-km breakaway with Richard Kalapas (Ineos Grenadiers), Iguita finished second and became the new race leader.

He and stage winner Kalapas took a tremendous gamble with a full-length long-distance attack. But Higuita's indifference to the weather in the race paid off handsomely on a rainy day that saw 18 abandonments and eight no-shows, including Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), who won his third consecutive Volta a Catalunya.

"I knew I had a chance to brake today," Higuchi was asked to explain how his two-man braking with Calapaz turned out to be one of the most memorable braking sessions in Volta a Catalunya history.

"We knew that, so we made sure we were in a good position. Then Luke Plapp, one of the domestiques of Ineos and the Australian national champion, set a really fast pace on the first big climb of the day. All the other riders slowed down and I was the last survivor of that first big battle.

In any case, after that battle, the battle for the green and white leader's jersey of the Volta a Catalunya began in earnest. We set off and just kept going," Higuita recalled, "and made a big gap. But the important thing was to keep going, adjusting our fitness as much as possible to make sure we made it to the finish."

At one point, the gap between the two was over three and a half minutes, far exceeding the seven seconds that had previously separated Higui and race leader Almeida. In fact, at the 50-kilometer mark, it looked as if the UAE would give up completely, but unexpected and much appreciated chase assistance came from the Norwegian team Uno X.

Higuchi said that even if the distance and the strength of the UAE team made it seem wildly improbable that they would eventually escape by 48 seconds, once the two committed, there was little point in letting up.

"There was no room for doubt. We were in the break with 100 km to go, so we just went as fast as we could. But it was a tough stage and it was hard to catch up."

Higuain led the sprint for the stage win after a strong partnership that lasted until the finish line came into sight. Higuita, who rode through the mountains of southern Catalunya without being affected by the weather, said that in such a two-way battle, the usual tactics would have been used, but after such a grueling stage, he had to resort to brute force

.

"At that point it wasn't a question of who was faster.

"Richard only won by half a wheel, but the important thing was to give the rider behind as much time as possible."

Iguita and Calapaz's move not only broke the UAE's planned "safe break" clearance, but also broke a long Catalan tradition. After the usual two midweek Pyrenees stages, the GC battle may continue all the way to Barcelona, but it is extremely rare to actually see a change at the top.

Higuchi, however, said that given the wet conditions, he did not intend to go clear early on.

"I didn't get on the rollers before the stage to warm up.

"But I was battling with some pretty lowly GC contenders.

"At best, I expected some action towards the end of the stage with the crosswind blowing. Ineos might have had something in mind, but not personally. I thought a GC team would show up to test Almeida in the mountains, but eventually Carapas showed up.

And, as it turned out, so did Higuita.

Numerous Volta a Catalunya have won by less than 16 seconds, Higuito's current advantage over Calapaz after stage 6, but the final stage, which passes through the Parc Montjuïc every year and has a series of tough little climbs, is known to be difficult to control.

If Higuain wins outright on Sunday, it would not only be the first WorldTour stage race victory of his young career, but also the first overall win for Bora-Hansgrohe since Max Schachmann won Paris-Nice more than a year ago.

"It's always a very dangerous stage and Richard will be looking for something. Richard will always go for something." Everyone is always looking to fight for the win there.