Stage 1: Calella › Calella – 185.2 km
With a roadside presence at the race, VeloHuman will be previewing individual stages of the 2015 Volta a Catalunya in addition to the overall race preview published earlier. Calella again hosts the opening stage of the race this year. The parcours resembles that of last year’s edition in many ways.
The stage opens with mostly flat roads for the first 80 kilometers, but the road turns upward near the midpoint of the day’s racing. The peloton will first take on the long Category 2 Alt de Viladrau (11.3 km, 3.3% average gradient) and then the Cat. 1 Alt del Coll Formic (7.8 km, 5.2% average gradient), before a long descent back towards the coast. The Cat. 3 Alt de Collsacreu (7.4 km, 3% average gradient) is the final climbing challenge of the stage, crested 18 kilometers before the line. The final few kilometers are mostly flat and not particularly technical.
Last year’s opening stage involved many of the same roads and similar climbs, and included the same ascent of the Collsacreu followed by a descent into Calella. That stage ended with a sprint finish. A repeat seems likely in 2015, though a reduction in the cast of characters likely to play a role in a bunch kick would also fall within the realm of expectation. These climbs probably won’t spring successful attackers, especially not on the first day of the Volta; though the Col Formic is a Cat. 1 challenge, categorizations are a bit deceiving in this race. Still, some of the heavier sprinters could fall out of contention on the slopes.
The diminutive Bryan Coquard has shown an ability to handle some climbing in the past, and he’s come close to a few wins already this year. Coming close to victory when racing at the WorldTour level is a common theme for Coquard, but with this startlist, he has a great chance of finally picking up a WorldTour win.
Caleb Ewan can handle some climbing and he looks to be on fine form after picking up two wins in the Tour de Langkawi. He’ll also have a good chance of picking up his first WorldTour win here.
Luka Mezgec won three stages last year (including the Calella opener of that edition) and seems like a good bet for more success in 2015 after already picking up a victory in the Tour du Haut Var-matin. The climbs will challenge him but if he can make it to the finish, he’ll be well-positioned to win. Matteo Pelucchi is in a similar boat: he’s had a lot of success so far this season and has a powerful finishing kick. If the climbs don’t take too much out of him he’s likely to contend for the win.
JJ Rojas is quite versatile for a fast finisher, and he has already taken a (rare) win this year. If some of the stronger sprinters are shed on the climbs, he’ll be one to watch. Julian Alaphilippe, Jasper Stuyven, Roberto Ferrari, Kévin Reza, and Julien Simon are other outside contenders with a chance. If a few of the GC names get aggressive on the climbs and manage to break up the race, look to Alejandro Valverde and Rigoberto Urán in a reduced sprint.
VeloHuman Stage Favorites
1. Bryan Coquard | 2. Luka Mezgec | 3. Caleb Ewan
Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter, and check back after the conclusion of Stage 1 for the preview of Stage 2.
-Dane Cash