MADRID, 17 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), the American Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), the Colombian Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) or the British Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) and Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) emerge as the main contenders for the final victory in the 103rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which will take place from this Monday until next Sunday with a demanding seven-stage route between Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Barcelona.
Up to six grand tour winners will be among the 175 cyclists who will start the Catalan UCI World Tour event this Monday in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, which will feature three high finishes as the main attraction of the week.
Pogacar, double winner of the Tour de France (2020 and 2021), will debut in the Catalan event looking to take the baton from his compatriot Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe), winner of the last edition. The Slovenian will be accompanied by important men in the UAE Team Emirates such as the Catalan Marc Soler or the Portuguese João Almeida, two cyclists who already know what it is like to reach the final podium of a Volta a Catalunya.
However, he will have tough rivals such as the current champion of the Vuelta a España, Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease en Bike), escorted by teammates such as the young Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks. Two other winners of the Tour de France, Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), also aspire to put up a fight, after reaching the podium of the Volta a Catalunya in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Also running for the final victory is the British Simon Yates (Team Jayco-AlUla), winner of a Vuelta a España; or Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team), winner of a Giro d’Italia and a Vuelta a España. The Colombian and his compatriot Sergio Higuita (Bora-hansgrohe), winner of the Volta in 2022, will be the two former test winners who will participate again. The Basque Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step), the Russian Alexander Vlasov (Bora-hansgrohe) and the Frenchman Lenny Martínez (Groupama-FDJ), among others, will also be on the starting line.
The test will present a demanding, attractive route with special prominence of highly anticipated returns. For the second consecutive year, the test will have three high-altitude finishes: the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya mountain stations of Vallter and Port Ainé and the high-altitude finish at Queralt, in Berga. The route will give prominence to the high mountains, with 23 scoring passes along the route, four of them in a special category: the arrivals at Vallter and Port Ainé, Port del Cantó and Coll de Pradell.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols will be the arrival and departure of a first stage of 173.9 kilometers with three scoring ports through the massif of Les Gavarres before an explosive finale. In the second stage, the first finish at altitude will take place, in a day of 186.5 kilometers starting in Mataró and finishing at the mountain station of Vallter, in Setcases (Valley of Camprodon); Catalonia’s cycling roof is all a special category port that will be hardened by the previous climb to the 1st category Coll de Coubet.
Sant Joan de les Abadesses will start the third stage, which will end in the Pallaresa mountain station of Port Ainé after 176.7 kilometers of route, which will include ports such as Port de Toses, of 1st category, and Port del Cantó, one of the four special category ports of the edition. The slope will relax in the fourth stage, which will start from Sort and end in Lleida, with 169 kilometers and with only one scoring pass and a very flat final part prepared for a sprint finish.
Altafulla, in the heart of the Costa Daurada, and Viladecans The Style Outlets will be the start and end of the fifth day, 167.3 kilometers long and with two second-category ports on the route, Coll de les Ventoses and Alt of the Creu d’Aragall, the last crowned less than 30 kilometers from the finish line. All before the sixth stage, 154.7 kilometers from Berga to the Queralt sanctuary; It will be a mountain stage with five scoring climbs, among which the competition debut of the Coll de Pradell will stand out, in a special category, feared for its length and impossible ramps.
The final stage, the seventh, will end in Barcelona after traveling through the interior of the Baix Llobregat; There will be six steps to the ‘Alt del Castell de Montjuïc’, of 2nd category.