Tag: Volta a Catalunya

Volta a Catalunya 2016 Preview

An overabundance of big GC stars will battle it out in Spain this week at the Volta a Catalunya, which boasts one of the most impressive startlists of any race in recent memory. All of the big favorites for the upcoming Tour de France (and several outsiders too) will hope to put their skills on display in Catalunya, where a mountainous parcours should provide plenty of opportunities for excitement.

The Route

The Volta a Catalunya doesn’t waste time getting to the good stuff—there are several categorized climbs on the very first stage which could make for some GC action right from the get-go.

Stage 2 will give the stagehunters something to look forward to, thanks to its flatter finish, but heavier speedsters won’t like what comes next. Stage 3 takes the Catalunya peloton up four Cat. 1 climbs, culminating in a double ascent of La Molina. The ski resort at the top of the climb will inevitably be a major GC battleground in this race.

Things won’t really get easy in Stage 4. After a less challenging first 80 kilometers, the road angles upward for the special-category Port de Cantó, and things don’t end there. Up next is the Cat. 1 Alt de Enviny, and then a short decent, and then one last special-category climb, this time to Port Ainé. This stage will likely be the most decisive day in the race.

A late climb on Stage 5 may spur a few aggressors into action but the flat finish will likely hamper anyone with GC aspirations. Stage 6 is the flattest stage in the race, and the one day where a sprint seems almost certain.

The race concludes in Barcelona on a tough circuit that will pit the peloton against eight Montjuic climbs, certainly enough wear down anyone not in strong shape.

The General Classification Contenders

Richie Porte is the defending champion, and with 2015 stage winner Tejay van Garderen in the mix as well, BMC will have quite the impressive squad in Catalunya. But that doesn’t mean the red and black outfit won’t have a huge challenge on their hands.

Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas give Sky a formidable lead duo. This race may lack time trials, but many of the important climbs have the longer, lower-gradient characteristics that make them a prime target for Froome’s skillset.

Alberto Contador will take the start looking to make up last week’s narrow loss to Geraint Thomas at Paris-Nice. Given his current form, he won’t be easy to beat on these climbs.

Nairo Quintana is making his first racing appearance since the Colombian national championships, but keep in mind all the times he’s managed to pull off a big result in a big race without doing much in the way of tune-up racing. The mountainous route plays right into his strengths.

Likewise, Fabio Aru has yet to race a WorldTour event this year, but that doesn’t mean he can be counted out in the overall battle. Sans time trial mileage, this course suits him very well. It should also suit his up-and-coming Astana teammate Miguel Ángel López.

Former winners Joaquím Rodríguez (of Katusha) and Dan Martin (of Etixx-QuickStep) will hope to be in the GC conversation as well. Rodríguez has Ilnur Zakarin for backup.

Romain Bardet, Domenico Pozzovivo, Rafael Valls, Warren Barguil, Tom Dumoulin, Ryder Hesjedal, Julián Arredondo, Esteban Chaves, Mathias Frank, Rigoberto Urán, Daniel Moreno, Wilco Kelderman, and Robert Gesink are others on the very strong list of potential GC protagonists.

The Stagehunters

Nacer Bouhanni headlines a thin crop of sprinters, with Ben Swift among the few other names in attendance capable of winning a true sprint. Despite the short list of sprinting contenders, however, the list of punchy, aggressive types with stage win potential is long.

Simon Gerrans, Gianni Meersman, Julian Alaphilippe, and Jarlinson Pantano all fit that bill nicely. They could be in the conversation on Stages 2 and 5, and possibly in the final stage as well. Gerrans’s Orica-GreenEdge teammate Amets Txurruka could also be one to watch in the stagehunting game. As a breakaway specialist, he’ll have plenty of chances to get up the road in this race.

VeloHuman Top 10 Overall Favorites

Winner: Nairo Quintana
Podium: Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru
Other Top Contenders: Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Tejay van Garderen, Joauquím Rodríguez, Dan Martin, Romain Bardet, Geraint Thomas

Photo by cdamian (CC).

March 21, 2016
The Recon Ride Podcast: Volta a Catalunya 2016

Episode 35: Volta a Catalunya 2016 Pre-race Show

The podcast previews the 2016 Volta a Catalunya, which boasts one of the strongest startlists in recent memory.

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The Classics may be in full swing now that Milano-Sanremo is in the bag, but some of cycling’s biggest GC stars will be busy doing what they do best this week in eastern Spain. Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano discuss the Volta a Catalunya, among the oldest stage races in the sport.

Photo by Dane Cash.

March 19, 2016
Volta a Catalunya 2015: Stage 7 Preview

Stage 7: Barcelona › Barcelona – 126.6 km

After yet another surprise stage winner on the sixth day of the race (Sergey Chernetskiy won from the breakaway), it’s fitting that the Volta a Catalunya should close out with an unpredictable Stage 7. The 126.6-kilometer route will take the peloton in and around Barcelona, the Catalonian capital, and the profile is punctuated by eight trips up the Alt de Montjuïc, a 2 kilometer ascent with a 5.7% average gradient. After each climb comes a winding descent that leads back into the foot of the next journey upward, except for the final one, which runs right down to the finish line.

The up-and-down nature of the second half of the stage makes this a terrific day for the breakaway riders; the pack will have a hard time controlling the race with so many tempo changes and twists and turns near the finish. The eight-climbs-of-the-Montjuïc finale was used in both of the past two editions of the Volta and breakaway riders took it both times. Still, things are so tight on the overall leaderboard, and that the bonus seconds on offer here will be enticing for those looking to take this race out of Richie Porte’s hands; in short, as hard as it will be to maintain a hold on this race, many strong teams in the peloton will be motivated to do so.

Should the breakaway make it three straight years of success, look for riders like Tejay van Garderen, Tom Danielson, Maciej Paterski, and Jonathan Hivert to try to get one more day of hard work out of their legs after already putting in a lot of mileage off the front already. Giampaolo Caruso, far enough behind on GC that he might be given a bit of freedom, could be a good rider to watch here as well, on a parcours that suits his strong kick. Samuel Sánchez is another rider who is great on the short climbs and outside of GC contention; BMC has been working hard to get as much out of this race as possible, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them give Sánchez the green light to make a move if van Garderen is finally feeling a little winded after another difficult day. The stage also suits Enrico Gasparotto, Julien Simon, and Martin Elmiger.

Regardless of whether they’re fighting for stage honors, the GC riders will have their hands full here, with so much climbing and descending. If they do manage to reel in the breakaway and fight for the victory, an in-form Alejandro Valverde is again a good pick to win another day. Explosive Dan Martin and fast-finishing Rigoberto Urán and Wilco Kelderman are others on the GC leaderboard who are likely to battle it out here if it comes down to the overall race contenders.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Giampaolo Caruso | 2. Alejandro Valverde | 3. Dan Martin

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis!

-Dane Cash

March 28, 2015
Volta a Catalunya 2015: Stage 6 Preview

Stage 6: Cervera › Port Aventura – 194.1 km

Stage 5 of the Volta a Catalunya was yet another day of GC action, with Alejandro Valverde soloing to victory ahead of a select group of riders, but the profile of Stage 6 will have the sprinters finally hoping for a chance to make their mark on the race. The long, low-gradient Alt de Prades in the middle of the stage won’t be an easy jaunt for anyone, but with about 70 kilometers after the top of the climb until the beginning of the next categorized challenge, anyone who struggles on the Cat. 1 will have plenty of opportunity to get back into the mix. That next categorized challenge is a short Cat. 3 crested over 30 kilometers from the line. From there, it’s a fast downhill followed by about 20 km of flat.

The late climb and steep descent towards the end of the day will certainly entice the punchier riders in the bunch, but several sprinters made their way to Catalunya hoping to come away with WorldTour stage victories, and one has to think that after so many days escaping their fast-finishing grasps, those quick men will be gunning for this stage, where a relative dearth of climbs will give them a chance.

Still, some uphill ability will be required to come to the line fresh. Bryan Coquard, very fast in a pure sprint but also capable of going up and over the occasional climb, is the prime pick. With Pierre Rolland out of the GC picture, Europcar should be throwing their full weight behind Coquard now.

Luka Mezgec is another strong pick, also very fast in a pure sprint. Unlike Coquard, he’s won several WorldTour-level sprints in his career, and against the young up-and-comer (who does tend to have positioning issues), that experience could come in handy.

Julian Alaphilippe gets a mention practically every day, but he hasn’t delivered just yet. Still, he’ll be more capable of surviving the pressure of late attacks by the GC riders than most of the other quick men here. The same is true for JJ Rojas, but Movistar clearly isn’t done backing Alejandro Valverde in this race just yet.

Speaking of Valverde, he’s certainly a contender again on Stage 6, where the late ramp will offer him a chance to break up the race, or at least shed some sprinter weight. As usual, Dan Martin, Rigoberto Urán, and Wilco Kelderman are others to watch if the final lead group is reduced too much to feature any sprinters.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Bryan Coquard | 2. Luka Mezgec | 3. Julian Alaphilippe

-Dane Cash

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis!

March 27, 2015
Volta a Catalunya 2015: Stage 5 Preview

Stage 5: Alp › Valls – 195.4 km

After a few days of mountain climbs, punctuated by Tejay van Garderen’s emphatic stage win at the La Molina ski resort on Stage 4, the Volta a Catalunya heads back towards sea level on Stage 5. The first half of the day comprises mostly downhill roads. A long, low-gradient, uncategorized climb to Belltall awaits after kilometer 140, followed by another descent that lasts until just after kilometer 180, where the peloton will hit the day’s only categorized climb, the Alt de Lilla, 4.1 kilometers at a 4.8% average gradient. From there it’s a steep downhill almost all the way to the finish line.

The lack of space after the final descent will make this an enticing target for the punchier, aggressive types, but last year’s Valls stage went to Luka Mezgec ahead of Julian Alaphilippe and Samuel Dumoulin in a sprint. Still, with things so close on the General Classification, and bonus seconds on the line that could change the outcome of the overall, expect to see some attacks flying here. In short, this stage could come down to a bunch sprint, it could come down to a reduced sprint, or it could go to a bold attacker off the front; I would characterize each potential outcome as about equally likely, making this a tough stage to call in a race that has already been full of surprises so far.

JJ Rojas is versatile enough to survive some selection on the climbs and he is in great sprinting shape at the moment. With Valverde a bit out of the frame in the GC picture, Rojas might be able to hunt for results without looking over his shoulder as frequently to see if the team leader is nearby and hunting for bonus seconds. This is a nice opportunity for him.

Julian Alaphilippe also has decent climbing legs and a great finishing kick. If this comes down to a sprint, he should be in the mix.

Luka Mezgec knows how to win here and he’ll look to stay near the front of the pack towards the stage to battle it out in a potential bunch sprint. Bryan Coquard came into the Volta looking strong and this is a good profile for him, as he is extremely fast but also capable of surviving a climb, but it hasn’t been a great race for him so far. Still he could turn it around in this finale.

As has already been said in VH’s race previews, look for Alejandro Valverde, Dan Martin, Wilco Kelderman, and Rigoberto Urán (roughly in order of sprinting prowess, though Valverde is undoubtedly scraping the bottom of the barrel for energy at this point after coming here directly from Milano-Sanremo) to fight it out for stage honors if action on the last climb sheds the sprinters from the peloton. In fact, any of those riders could also be the instigators of said action. Enrico Gasparotto, Cyril Gautier, and Martin Elmiger are among the punchier riders who might be able to stick with aggressive GC riders or who could even launch attacks of their own.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. JJ Rojas | 2. Luka Mezgec | 3. Dan Martin

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more Volta a Catalunya analysis.

-Dane Cash

March 26, 2015
Volta a Catalunya 2015: Stage 4 Preview

Stage 4: Tona › La Molina – 188.4 km

The Volta saw it’s first serious climbing battle on Stage 3, with Domenico Pozzovivo taking the day after jumping from a small lead group that included Richie Porte and Alberto Contador, among others, with Alejandro Valverde (who had taken a small spill along the technical route) and Chris Froome a bit behind. Stage 4 will likely be even more decisive, opening with a pair of Cat. 1s and then finishing with the one-two punch of an extra-long Special-Category Alt de la Crueta (21 kilometers at a 4.5% average gradient) and then the Cat. 1 La Molina summit finish (5.6 kilometers with a 5.8% average gradient).

Such an up-and-down day is likely to see consistent attacks. It won’t be easy to control this stage, making a breakaway stage victor possible; at the same time, there are all-important bonus seconds at the line, and several powerful teams hoping to take the top step of the Volta a Catalunya podium, meaning that the peloton will likely work hard to reel in anyone up the road.

As tough as this day will be, the final few kilometers are not terribly steep. It’s feasible that a small group reaches the top of La Molina together, which would give the advantage to the climbers with strong finishing kicks. Alejandro Valverde again comes to mind, though after racing Milano-Sanremo and heading straight to Spain to start in this race, it seems likely that at some point, Valverde might start to feel a bit of fatigue. He’s still a top favorite, but there is that question of whether or not he can keep chugging along at such a high level.

The Chris Froome vs. Alberto Contador battle may have given way to a Richie Porte vs. Alberto Contador battle, and Stage 4 will certain offer another battleground for the confrtontation. Porte has the stronger team, with almost all of Sky’s top climbers. With the number of options Sky has brought to this race, their odds of coming away with a result are pretty good. Then again, Alberto Contador at his best would be the best climber here (with the only rider who might rival him, Froome, still lacking just a bit of form after his illness at the beginning of the month). Contador is a shrewd tactician. The question is whether he can come up with the right strategy to beat this juggernaut Sky team.

Rigoberto Urán and Dan Martin may get another opportunity after they lost out to Domenico Pozzovivo on Stage 3. If they can stick with the lead group at the end of the day, they both have great finishing kicks to go for the victory at the line. The same is true for Wilco Kelderman, though it seems a bit less likely that Kelderman will survive this tough stage with the top favorites.

Pozzovivo will be another contender here, given the form he showed on Stage 3. He lacks the top speed to win a potential reduced sprint, meaning that he’ll need to jump from whatever group he is in to do win this stage, but he’s had a lot of success in doing just that. Fabio Aru, Andrew Talansky, and Esteban Chaves are other strong climbers who could be looking to go on the offensive.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Riche Porte | 2. Alejandro Valverde | 3. Alberto Contador

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more Volta a Catalunya analysis!

March 25, 2015