Volta a Catalunya 2015 Preview

While the Classics specialists are recovering from Milano-Sanremo and then heading to Belgium for E3 and Gent-Wevelgem, plenty of other big names, including several of the top stage racers in the sport, will make the journey to Spain to take on the Volta a Catalunya. With no time trials and tough climbs throughout the race, it’s a great event for those who enjoy riding uphill. This year’s edition boasts a startlist filled with stars certain to make things interesting. VH is on-site and will provide plenty of race coverage, including individual stage previews.

The Route

The Volta a Catalunya is a seven-day race that travels through Spain’s Catalonia region, starting in the beach town of Calella and then traveling along the coast and through the Pyrenees before finally coming to a conclusion in Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous community. There are climbs on every stage of the race, and they are categorized 3-2-1-Esp., though the climbs classified as “Cat. 1” here might be classified differently in other stage races. For example, the first Cat. 1 of the race is the Alt del Coll Formic, 7.8 kilometers at a 5.2% average gradient, which is probably not difficult enough for it to be classified as a Category 1 climb in, for instance, the Tour de France.

The first stage does have some tough climbs in the middle of the day and a small bump near the finish, but last year’s Calella stage ended in a bunch sprint and it seems likely that that scenario will repeat itself this year. Stage 2 is one that could go to the more versatile quick men who can stay at the head of the race on a late Cat. 3 climb.

The GC battle will heat up on Stage 3, which starts and finishes in Girona, with two Cat. 3s, a Cat. 2, and two visits to the same Cat. 1 climb along the way. After the peloton makes its second visit to said climb, the Alt dels Ángels (6 km at a 5.5% average grade), there will only be 13 kilometers remaining in the stage; in other words, attacks made on the climb may survive to the line.

Stage 4 will certainly see GC action. The riders will take on a series of climbs on the way to a summit finish at La Molina ski resort, with the seemingly interminable special-category Alt de Creueta (21 km at 4.5%) along the way.

None of the climbs on the stage are individually all that imposing compared to some of the mountains these riders will face in the Giro or the Tour, but taking on so many uphill challenges in rapid succession will certainly wear on the peloton.

Stage 5 will throw a late climb at the riders but the 2014 edition saw a sprit in the same location. Stage 6 is almost certainly for the sprinters. Stage 7, with its eight climbs of Barcelona’s Montjuïc, will almost inevitably see attacks, but whether they will have a GC impact is not so certain.

Several of these stages could end in bunch sprints, despite the climbs and their categorizations in the roadbook. Still, the multitude of vertical challenges guarantees plenty of attacks by the climbers, and the opportunity to put in those uphill digs has drawn a terrific startlist to this year’s race.

The General Classification Contenders

Last year’s winner Joaquim Rodríguez was a late scratch after coming down with an illness, but Tour de France winners Chris Froome and Alberto Contador are among the many elite GC names who will set out from Calella. Froome missed Tirreno-Adriatico with a chest infection, but he was not off the bike for long. Assuming he has maintained the strong form he showed in the Ruta del Sol, Froome will be hard to beat in this race, especially given the incredible team support Sky is bringing. Richie Porte will be another of the top favorites, with Leopold König, Nicolas Roche, and Wout Poels all enjoying contender status as well. Some may point to the lack of time trials in this race as a reason to doubt the chances of Froome (and Sky alternative Porte, for that matter), but at his best, Froome can match the world’s top climbers on the slopes. The overlong climbs on Stage 4 suit Froome and his team perfectly.

Alberto Contador is certainly among those top climbers. His 5th in Tirreno was a bit underwhelming given his status entering the race as the top favorite, but he has another opportunity here in a race in which he has shined in the past. He was 2nd last year behind Purito. Contador is a fiery competitor and he won’t back down from this chance to take on Froome. It won’t be easy against such opposition, but expect a powerful counterpunch from a rider who knows how to race here after Froome defeated him in their first meeting of the year at the Ruta del Sol. Though Contador’s team doesn’t have quite the firepower of Sky, Rafal Majka, Michael Rogers, and Robert Kiserlovksi should be a strong supporting cast as well, especially if Majka can get back to the Top 5-level form he showed in the Tour of Oman after a lackluster Tirreno.

2013 winner Daniel Martin typically performs very well in this race; in addition to his one victory he has also been runner-up twice. For the most part, these climbs suit him very well, and the Irish uphill specialist now lives in the area, meaning that he’ll get a chance to ride on home roads this week. Though he did not have a great Tirreno-Adriatico, Martin has tended to develop his form gradually at the start of the season. He should be among the top contenders here, with a nice finishing kick to help him nab bonus seconds. Andrew Talansky and Ryder Hesjedal make for excellent support riders or potential alternatives for Cannondale-Garmin.

Alejandro Valverde won the Volta back in 2009. He has looked good in almost every race he’s taken on so far this year, and just as it suits fellow hilly classics star Dan Martin, the parcours in this race suits Valverde too. His Spanish squad will look for a top result here, and with the Ardennes rapidly approaching, Valverde will probably be in top shape. His sprinting ability makes him a strong player in the bonus seconds game. He should contend for the podium, though he’ll need to be more aggressive than has been his style lately if he wants to fight for the win. Rubén Fernández is a strong ally.

Rigoberto Urán is in great shape right now and should be capable of fighting for the win. BMC’s Tejay van Garderen took his first WorldTour victory here in a mountaintop stage last year and finished 3rd overall. If he can bounce back from a less-than-successful Paris-Nice, he could notch more success this year. Spain’s Samu Sánchez makes for a nice alternative for BMC. Romain Bardet was just behind van Garderen in the aforementioned mountain stage in last year’s edition. He too struggled in Paris-Nice, but this ITT-less race suits his pure climber’s skillset. Domenico Pozzovivo and Carlos Betancur are other options for AG2R. Belkin’s Wilco Kelderman was another who underwhelmed in Paris-Nice, but he can find his form he should do well here. With practically every team in the race bringing a GC name to Catalonia, the list of outside contenders beyond the many GC riders already mentioned is very long. Some of those that have to be in the conversation are: Astana’s Fabio Aru (whose climbing legs were decent in Paris-Nice despite his poor overall result), Katusha’s Giampaolo Caruso, Lampre-Merida’s Rafal Valls, Giant-Alpecin’s Warren Barguil, Colombia’s Rodolfo Torres, IAM Cycling’s Jarlinson Pantano, Lotto Soudal’s Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Europcar’s Pierre Rolland, Cofidis’s Daniel Navarro, and OGE’s Esteban Chaves.

The Stagehunters

Despite the many hills along the road to Barcelona, the Volta does often involve several sprint stages. This year’s route should see a few. Giant-Alpecin’s Luka Mezgec won thrice here in 2014 and is again among the fastest names on the startlist. Bryan Coquard has had trouble turning Top 10s into results at the WorldTour level but he’ll have opportunities here. IAM Cycling’s Matteo Pelucchi started the year in fine form and should be able to contend for more results in this race. OGE’s Caleb Ewan, EQS’s Julian Alaphilippe, Trek’s Jasper Stuyven, Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari, and Movistar’s JJ Rojas are on the list of other quick men in Catalunya.

Meanwhile watch out for the likes of Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural), Cyril Gautier (Europcar), and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) to try to find breakaway success among the many rollings hills in the race.

VeloHuman Top 10 GC Favorites

Winner: Chris Froome
Podium: Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde
Other Top Contenders: Dan Martin, Romain Bardet, Rigoberto Urán, Richie Porte, Tejay van Garderen, Samuel Sánchez, Fabio Aru

VeloHuman is on-site at the race and will have plenty more insight from Catalunya (keep an eye out for daily stage previews), so stay tuned here and on Twitter @VeloHuman! Also be sure to check out the Recon Ride for more pre-race commentary.

-Dane Cash

Photo by Arnaucc.