Stage 2: Mataró › Olot – 191.8 km
The 2015 Volta a Catalunya opened with quite a surprising first stage. Maciej Paterski, Pierre Rolland, and Bart De Clercq broke away from the peloton early in the day and never looked back, holding the advantage all the way to the line. Paterski won the stage. The peloton crossed the line 2:40 behind. Pre-race outsider Pierre Rolland now has the inside track to overall victory; nearly three minutes of an advantage will be hard for the other riders to overcome on this parcours.
Still, a bad day in the mountains can ruin even the strongest of GC positions, and there is plenty of racing to be done yet. Stage 2 is a 191.8-kilometer journey from Mataró to Olot. After a small early climb, there aren’t many topographic challenges, other than a pair of low-gradient rollers in the middle of the day, until near the finish line. The Alt de Montagut (2.1 kilometers, 4.5% average gradient) will be topped with less than 15 km to go, and it’s followed by an uncategorized uphill stretch that only flattens out inside the final 10 km.
The stage is not particularly difficult, but the last few climbs could complicate things for the heavier sprinters. The most likely scenario would seem to be a reduced sprint among the more versatile riders in the peloton, but there is always the possibility of a successful attack on one of the late steep sections.
As a rider who also sports a very fast finish, Julian Alaphilippe can climb quite well. He has had success in some very hilly races in the past, even occasionally get involved in late moves from time to time (he was 5th in the GP Ouest-France last year). That versatility makes him a prime pick here.
Bryan Coquard could improve as a strategist in the sprints, but there is no denying his blazing top speed, and he also has decent climbing legs. There’s not guarantee he’ll make it to the finish, but if he can, he’ll be difficult to beat.
JJ Rojas may not have the same top speed of the purer sprinters but he can handle difficult climbs. He’s a strong candidate for a good result, though victories are always hard to come by for Rojas.
Luka Mezgec isn’t quite as versatile but he’s a very capable sprinter, and if he doesn’t lose ground on the climb, he’ll have a great chance.
It’s possible that the GC riders try to mix it up at the end of this stage to claw back time from Rolland. Look for Dan Martin, Alejandro Valverde, and Rigoberto Urán if the overall race contenders manage to shed the sprinters.
If they don’t, the list of other quick men who make for decent contenders here includes: Matteo Pelucchi, Caleb Ewan, Julien Simon, Roberto Ferrari, Jasper Stuyven, and Greg Henderson. Punchy types like Enrico Gasparatto could also be in the mix.
VeloHuman Stage Favorites
1. Bryan Coquard | 2. Julian Alaphilippe | 3. JJ Rojas
Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for plenty more analysis during the race!
-Dane Cash
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