From the 24th to the 30th of March the World Tour peloton returns to Spain, more specifically Catalunya, for one of the most exciting and difficult stage-races in the calendar. The Volta a Catalunya is always a massive test for the climbers, but equally other riders will also get their opportunities. We preview stage 2.
Stage 2 should be another day for the sprinters but again there is a meaningful obstacle. There are a couple climbs in the middle of the stage that are decently hard, and if pushed it can certainly cause irreparable damage to the peloton. They will be 4.8Km at 5% and 7.7Km at 6.4%, the latter ending with 79 kilometers to go - still two hours of racing left at this point.
Stage 2: Banyoles - Figueres, 176.1 kilometers
The road is not pan-flat then towards Figueres but there is no major obstacle and a bunch sprint is likely. This will be an interesting one though, not technical at all but with an uphill ramp to the line in the final 500 meters.
Map Volta a Catalunya 2025 stage 2
With Edward Planckaert and Tibor del Grosso both looking incredibly strong today, I think Alpecin has everything to deliver a perfect leadout and have Groves in the perfect position for the sprint. If they leave it to late, then it will be very hard to beat the Australian, even for a Matthew Brennan who looked mighty impressive today. The final uphill ramp to the line will not be easy, although not as hard as today it can certainly favour a few riders a lot, and keep the GC riders on their toes.
Prediction Volta a Catalunya 2025 stage 2:
*** Kaden Groves, Matthew Brennan
** Corbin Strong, Dorian Godon, Marijn van den Berg
* Andrea Vendrame, Axel Laurance, Anders Foldager, Pavel Bittner, Nils Eekhoff, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Ide Schelling, Ethan Vernon
** Corbin Strong, Dorian Godon, Marijn van den Berg
* Andrea Vendrame, Axel Laurance, Anders Foldager, Pavel Bittner, Nils Eekhoff, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Ide Schelling, Ethan Vernon
Pick: Kaden Groves
How: Regular bunch sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
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🚴♂️ Aquest és el 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭 de la Volta a Catalunya masculina 2025!
— Volta a Catalunya (@VoltaCatalunya) March 14, 2025
🗺️ ¡Aquí tenemos el 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 de la #VoltaCatalunya 2025!
😍 The 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞 for #VoltaCatalunya104! pic.twitter.com/iwRRWNkADn
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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