Major blow for the Volta a Catalunya: stage 4 summit finish at Vallter 2000 cancelled due to extreme wind forecast
Cycling
The Volta a Catalunya has been forced to alter the route of its fourth stage, scheduled for this Thursday. It's a decision that significantly reshapes the upcoming general classification battle, reducing the number of GC stages from three to just two.
The organisers announced that, due to a level-3 VENCAT alert - with forecast gusts up to 90 km/h at the summit of Vallter - the original course has been shortened. The stage, which was set to finish on the demanding climb to the ski station, will now conclude in the town of Camprodon.
The change removes the day’s key difficulty, a summit finish expected to open meaningful gaps among the contenders.
Without that uphill finale, the stage loses much of its decisive weight for the GC, likely leaving a more open and less selective scenario. The duel among favourites, anticipated to flare on the slopes of Vallter, is postponed to later, more mountainous stages.
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Schedule changes
Alongside the route change, the timetable has also been adjusted. The start from Mataró is delayed by 30 minutes to 13:05, while the team presentation will run from 11:55 to 12:55.
Thus, the fourth stage goes from being a key day for the general classification to a transitional day conditioned by the weather, where the favorites might choose to conserve energy for the more decisive terrain.
We'll see if there's any battle among Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Joao Almeida, Cian Uijtdebroeks, and the rest of the favorites for the overall victory in the Catalan stage race. This certainly makes the race even more interesting on a weekend that's about to become completely decisive.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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ℹ️Modificada l'etapa 4 de #VoltaCatalunya105 per activació del pla VENTCAT. L'organització es veu obligada a retallar el recorregut, que es mantindrà fins la seva finalització a Camprodon, sense la pujada a Vallter. 🗞️ + info: voltacatalunya.cat
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