Montjuïc surrenders to a cycling exhibition by Roglic

BarcelonaFrom one small country to another. Slovenia has dominated the Vuelta a Catalunya recently. For the third time in a row, a Slovenian has won the Catalan race after a thrilling display by Primoz Roglic (Red Bull) on Montjuïc. Roglic, the 2023 champion, won the Volta for the second time, a year after his compatriot Tadej Pogacar's triumph. On the final stage, Roglic was one second behind Juan Ayuso (UAE), but the Barcelona-born cyclist was unable to compete with the Slovenian's experience. His attack on the final circuit of Montjuïc was thrilling. "Roglic was superior," Ayuso sadly admitted.

In fact, Roglic had already regained the lead with an intermediate sprint in Viladecans, although Ayuso hit him back shortly after. But Roglic had the day, that look of a champion. And with more than 20 km still to go and the riders already on the Montjuïc circuit, which had to be ridden six times, he attacked the way champions attack. Winning with bonuses? No, it wasn't enough. Perhaps with his pride hurt by not having defended riding Saturday's queen stage more, cut short by the wind, the Slovenian decided to show what he was made of. He opened a gap and was no longer caught. Although Ayuso's teammates tried, it seemed they didn't have the energy to close in on the Slovenian. "If I wanted to win, I had to do something. I really enjoyed it. After several weeks of training, I didn't know how this week would go, and I got this result. My legs are fine, and I really enjoyed it," said the four-stroke winner of the Vuelta a España. Roglic, who is preparing for a Giro d'Italia that he has already won, entered alone under a sea of Catalan flags and broke the heart of Ayuso, who will have time to win in the city of her birth, seeing his progress. Ayuso finished second, 28 seconds behind the champion, and Mallorcan Enric Mas (Movistar), third, 53 seconds behind. "It's the stroke I've heard best in the Volta a Catalunya, I'm happy," said Mas at the end of the race.

A great record

At 35 years old, Roglic has added a new success to a list of achievements that already includes eleven victories in the general classification of one-week races: he has won the Volta twice (2023 and 2025), the Tirrè-Adriàtic (2019 and 2023), the Volta al Pais Vasco (202 ) and the Tour de Romandie (2018 and 2019), as well as the Paris-Nice in 2022. The final stage of the Volta, starting and finishing in Barcelona, ​​​​had been cut short due to the clash with the start of the Barça-Girona match. In fact, many fans of both teams mingled with cycling enthusiasts at the foot of the Estadi Olímpic to see Roglic's exhibition live, who has been starring in a beautiful duel with Ayuso all this week. Everyone assumed the Volta would be decided on Saturday's queen stage, with the final climb to Queralt, a mountain stage that was left with no summits to climb due to the wind. It was a chaotic day, and Ayuso accepted that it had perhaps "affected" him a little. "Saturday was a very strange day, and I think this may have affected me. With the fatigue from a queen stage, I think it would have been different. I'm leaving quite calm. I know where I went wrong," added the second-place finisher in the general classification.

Despite the last-minute withdrawal of Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, the Volta confirms the good form of Ayuso, who continues to improve, although he still needs to take a small step forward to sit at the same table as Roglic, who perfectly managed the distances in the final laps of Montjuïc. It's an epic triumph in a Volta that, despite the wind, the football schedules, and the affected routes, remains in top form. For a decade now, it has become one of the best events on the calendar.