Philippa York suggests Remco Evenepoel used Catalunya as "more of a form check for the upcoming Ardennes rather than comparison with Vingegaard"

The 2026 Volta a Catalunya brought together, on paper, virtually all the big names expected to fight for the general classifications at the upcoming Grand Tours. That is how Philippa York frames her analysis, noting the start list was hard to improve, with one major absentee: Tadej Pogacar, alongside the victory of Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel’s bittersweet week.

The Briton underlines that the Slovenian chose an alternative calendar focused on the Classics, delaying his return to stage racing until the Tour de Romandie. Meanwhile, the rest of the contenders did show up in Catalonia with a twin goal: to trade blows and gauge their real condition against direct rivals.

"All those who consider themselves serious GC contenders were there. Everyone, except Tadej Pogačar," notes York, stressing the competitive weight of this edition.

In that context, Jonas Vingegaard started as the benchmark. According to York, his status as the only rider able to challenge Pogačar’s throne made him the standout favourite. "Jonas Vingegaard set the tone and, being the only one who could rival Pogacar, he was the clear favourite," she explains.

Around him, riders like Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida, and Tom Pidcock arrived needing to validate their form. For the Belgian, the bar was high after his start to the season: "Remco Evenepoel needed to rediscover the form that allowed him to crush everyone in January and February."

Evenepoel’s case merits its own chapter in York’s reading. The Belgian showed a more solid version than in recent outings, but still short of his top level. "It wasn’t as bad as at the UAE Tour last month, but it also wasn’t the performance the team management would have wished for," she says.

The analyst also suggests his approach may have been shaped by the calendar. "Seeing how he rode in the days before the mountain stages, I can’t help but think this was more a form check for the upcoming Ardennes races than a direct comparison with Jonas Vingegaard."

In that sense, the conclusion is nuanced: "Catalunya can be considered a success, as he was dynamic, strong, and present in the opening days, but then he chased rather than raced in the high mountains."

York also highlights others looking to reassert themselves, like Oscar Onley, at a key moment after an uneven start: "This was a decisive moment, the time to step up after the disappointments at Paris-Nice."

One team that did not come out well in the review was INEOS Grenadiers. There were positives, especially with Dorian Godon, but the GC fight never truly took shape.

York underlines the Frenchman’s role in attritional sprints: "Repeating the feat two days later, while wearing the leader’s jersey, showed he was a valuable asset: the sprinter who can survive medium-mountain stages." His victory in the points classification, she adds, "was well deserved."

The doubts surfaced in the mountains. "They tried to take control on uphill finishes, but Onley and Rodríguez couldn’t hold their own when the fight narrowed to the top climbers, and that’s a concern," she analyses.

The requirement was clear: "It’s understandable they couldn’t match Vingegaard when he attacked, but one of them should have been in the immediate chase group."