The Tour of Catalonia: from being a nuisance to becoming one of the most fashionable cycling races

BarcelonaCycling fans are gearing up for the Vuelta a Catalunya (Cycling Tour of Catalonia). The century-old event, one of the three oldest in the world, is enjoying a successful period that has seen the best cyclists compete in Catalan cycling races in recent years. While three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE) won in 2024, with exhibitions that will be remembered for years to come, 2025 was supposed to be the debut year for Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma). But the two-time Tour de France champion will ultimately be out due to the crash that forced him to abandon Paris-Nice just over a week ago.

The 104th edition of the race, which will take place from March 24 to 30, also features a luxury lineup with names such as Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull), winner of four Vueltas in Spain and a Giro, as well as the Catalan Volta, the star), Briton Adam Yates (UAE), Basque Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Mallorcan Enric Mas (Movistar) and Barcelona-born cyclist Juan Ayuso (UAE). Without Vingegaard, the fight to be champion is more open, with Roglic as the rival to beat.

"We'll see a high-quality edition, as has been the case in recent seasons," explains Volta director Rubèn Peris. The tireless president of the Volta has managed to transform this race, organized by the Sants Cycling Union, from experiencing difficult years in the 1990s to a prominent place on the international calendar, entering the orbit of ASO, the French company that controls the Tour. The Volta has been adding strategic partners, improving the lineup, creating dialogue with authorities, and taking advantage of the good level of cycling at home to build a road race. Viewerships are improving, more and more people are following it, and different regions are eager to host a race that's enjoying good health. And it will host the second edition of its women's Volta later, in June. A few years ago, it was difficult to find interested town councils. Now many have understood that having the Vuelta at home is an asset, such as Sant Feliu de Guíxols, the start and departure point of the first stage.

This year's route features three spectacular uphill finishes. One will be the first-category pass at the La Molina ski resort, on stage three. And the other two have a divine touch, as the climb will be to pay homage to the Moreneta on stage four, which will finish here to commemorate the millennium of the founding of the Montserrat monastery. And from the Moreneta to the Virgin of Queralt, because her shrine will be the stage finish for the second consecutive year. After the resounding success of the last edition in BerguedàThis event is being repeated as the finale of the penultimate day. "We're living in a great era of professional cycling, with major media icons putting on a top-level show. And, in Catalonia, we enjoy a luxurious place to practice cycling," Peris says.

The fourth stage in Montserrat will be especially emotional. Although the Volta has been held before, this will be only the third time that the stage finish will be at the top of the monastery. The first time was way back in 1960, in a time trial that linked Monistrol de Montserrat to the monastery, won by Mallorcan Antonio Karmany, one of the best climbers of the time. The Volta was won that year by the legendary Miquel Poblet. The second time was in 1995, with a stage starting in Manlleu. The winner was French cyclist Laurent Jalabert, who took the lead that day and never gave up until the finish. "For the Volta organizers, beyond the symbolism of the mountain, this is a significant logistical challenge because we're talking about a UCI World Tour event that involves 800 people and numerous organizational vehicles, team buses, etc. What we're clear about is that the images we'll see will be seen around the world."

The route, with a shortened final stage

The race will start in Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Baix Empordà), which will host the start for the fourth consecutive year, with a demanding, circular route along the roads of the Costa Brava (178.6 km) that will include the Begur and Santa Pellaia passes, both third category. The second stage will start in Banyoles (Pla de l'Estany) and head to Figueres (Alt Empordà) with a route of 177 kilometers with the Pení pass (3a) and the Sant Pere de Rodes pass (1a) as the two main reefs of a day that aims at a mass sprint.

The riders will climb into the Pyrenees for the 218.6-kilometer third stage, the longest of the event since 2006. The race starts in Viladecans (Baix Llobregat) at sea level and finishes in La Molina (Cerdanya), a category 1 climb, after ascending the challenging Collado de la Creueta (special stage). After the Pyrenean stage, the riders will cycle along the roads surrounding Montserrat. After leaving Sant Vicenç de Castellet (Bages), the riders will climb the Puig hill before completing the 188.7-kilometer medium-mountain route with a climb to the category 1 climb where the monastery is located, which will once again host a stage finish in the Catalan round thirty years later.

The Volta will take a short break in the fifth stage between the towns of Paüls and Amposta, 172 kilometers long and with a single scoring obstacle in the early stages, the Collado de la Font, so it is expected to be an ideal day for the sprinters. The queen stage (159 km) will arrive on Saturday, starting in Berga (Berguedà) and finishing at the Puerto de Queralt (1st stage), after previously passing the Collado de la Batallola (3rd stage), the Collado de Pradell (special stage) and the Collado de Sant Isidre (1st stage) in a day that promises to be a party of the past with the riders cheering on the riders.

As is traditional, the Volta will end on Sunday with a stage starting and finishing in Barcelona, ​​​​a stage that has seen its route shortened due to the schedule of the football match between Barça and Girona, ​​that same Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at the Montjuïc stadium, close to the finish line of the race. The Volta will have to finish around 1:00 p.m. to facilitate the arrival of spectators to the football match, which means shortening it: it goes from having a route of 136 kilometers to 88 and eliminates the rider's passage through Molins de Rei, the Alto de Corbera and Sant Vicenç dels Horts, among other places.