The spring stage season is in full swing, and next week the World Tour will make its first visit to Spain of the year for the Volta a Catalunya.
As one of the oldest races in the world, it’s one of the most prestigious, as reflected by a stellar line-up this year, that looks like the strongest and most competitive of any stage race so far this season.
The route is neatly divided into two. The first three stages are all hilly, with over 2,000m climbing featured in each, but flat finishes will temper their impact on the GC, and be contested instead by sprinters or puncheurs. Then the next three stages are all summit finishes to bring out the GC contenders, to Vallter, the Coll de Pal and Queralt, the first two being especially hard at altitudes of over 2,000m.
And, as always, the race will climax with the familiar punchy circuit around Barcelona and the Montjuïc hill, this year with extra significance as riders prepare for the Barcelona Grand Départ at the Tour de France later this year.
CONTENDERS
JONAS VINGEGAARD
Any doubts about Jonas Vingegaard’s form ahead of his first race of the season at Paris-Nice were made a mockery of, as the Dane ran away with the overall victory, deflecting anything both the opposition, and the weather, through at him to claim back-to-back stage wins and a huge winning margin of over four minutes. It was a reminder that, in any race that Tadej Pogačar is absent from, Vingegaard remains the man to beat. Having landed a first ever Paris-Nice title, he’s now gunning for glory on what will be his Volta a Catalunya debut, and the mountainous route and three summit finishes should suit him even better than the one he so convincingly conquered last week at Paris-Nice.
Vingegaard was dominant at the recent Paris-Nice (Image: ASO / Billy Ceusters)
REMCO EVENEPOEL
Which Remco Evenepoel will we see at Catalunya: the Remco who romped to five victories in his first seven days of racing this year, or the one who laboured on the climbs of the UAE Tour to finish down in tenth overall? As sublime as he can be, Evenepoel still has a tendency towards inconsistency that can hold him back at stage races, reflected by the surprising fact that he is still yet to win one of the ‘Big Seven’ World Tour week-long stage races. He has a chance to add a first at Volta a Catalunya, and expectations are high at his new Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team who are relying on his to defend their title here in the absence of last year’s winner Primož Roglič; but he will rue the lack of an individual time trial.
Evenepoel returns to Spain where he won five races in January and February (Image: Getty)
João Almeida
Since getting into a winning groove with back-to-back stage titles at the Basque Country, Romandie and Tour de Suisse last year, João Almeida has reverted back to a very consistent nearly-man, claiming podium finishes at Volta ao Algarve and Volta Comunitat Valenciana this year and at last year’s Vuelta a España, but without winning any of them. He’s due a win, therefore, and the long summit finishes at this route should suit him well. The ongoing war of words between himself and Vingegaard will add an edge to this showdown, in what is a key preparation race ahead of the Giro d’Italia later this spring.
Almeida pushed Vingegaard hard at last year's Vuelta (Image: Unipublic / Rafa Gómez / Sprint Cycling Agency)
Tom Pidcock
The Volta a Catalunya could witness the continued evolution of Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) transition into a GC contender. Victory at Milano-Torino last Wednesday and a sensational second-place to Tadej Pogačar at Milan-Sanremo on Saturday show he’s in great form, but his real test as a GC candidate will come on the longer summits of stages four and five.
Pidcock was a close second to Pogačar at Milan-Sanremo (Image: Getty)
OSCAR ONLEY
Though they have yet to claim a stage race title, it’s been a strong start to the season for Ineos Grenadiers, and with Egan Bernal, Carlos Rodríguez and Oscar Onley in their line-up, they look set to challenge for GC at Volta a Catalunya. The youthful promise of Onley in particular has helped breathe new life into the team, and were it not for his involvement in a crash, the Scot might have been able to push Vingegaard closer for the title at Paris-Nice. Winning against such illustrious opposition will be a big ask, but at the age of just 23 Onley is getting better and better, and there’s no telling where his ceiling might be.
Onley is a rising stage racing star (Image: Getty)
MIKEL LANDA
Spanish veteran Mikel Landa makes his season bow at Volta a Catalunya, beginning what will be his sixteenth year riding professionally in the sport. While many of his peers have now retired, Landa soldiers on, and remains capable of a strong GC ride, and has an especially strong recent record here at Volta a Catalunya, where he has placed fourth, second and fifth in the past three editions. He’ll find it hard to match the pace of the younger favourites, but will have the full backing of his Soudal Quick-Step, for whom he is not the main man for GC stage races following the departure of Remco Evenepoel.
Landa is a seasoned stage racer (Image: Unipublic / Cxcling / Antonio Baixauli)
OTHER CONTENDERS
The start list is full of purer climbers, including Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) fresh from his fifth overall at the UAE Tour, as well as his teammate Matthew Riccitello (who won the Tour de la Provence in February) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), although he was off the pace at Tirreno-Adriatico. EF also have recent podium finisher Georg Steinhauser in their team.
The form of Enric Mas (Movistar) is less well known, as he’s only done two race days so far in 2026, but his recent record of finishing third at last year’s Volta a Catalunya and fifth the year before that suggest he could arrive in good shape.
As ever, UAE bring a formidable squad and should Almeida come into difficulty then expect to see Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty or Marc Soler stepping up.
Derek Gee-West and Giulio Ciccone lead the line for Lidl-Trek, and Santiago Buitrago could be Bahrain-Victorious’ best candidate but they have another option with the winner of the final stage at Paris-Nice, Lenny Martinez is also in their ranks. While Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe arguably have the strongest team with Florian Lipowitz and Paris-Nice runner-up Dani Martínez to back up Remco Evenepoel.
Groupama-FDJ United bring David Gaudu and Jayco AlUla have Ben O'Connor and Paul Double in their squad.
The lack of flat stages is reflected by the paucity of sprinters on the start list, with Matthew Brennan not returning after wowing us all with his two stage wins from last year. In his absence, Dorion Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) looks the most in-form fast finisher, following his stage win at Paris-Nice. Jake Stewart (NSN Cycling Team) and Sam Bennett (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) will hope to match the Frenchman.
PREDICTION
Given how untouchable he was at Paris-Nice, and the fact that he has not been defeated in any stage race he has finished by anyone other than Tadej Pogačar since September 2023, it’s hard to look past Jonas Vingegaard for the overall victory, even up against such a strong field.
