Profiles Volta a Catalunya 2022

As part of the peloton will be up in Belgium racing the rough cobbled classic of Flandres, another part will be in Spain as World Tour racing resumes with the Volta a Catalunya. A race that frequently attracts big names as the good weather and amount of mountains satisfies the urges of the stage-racers that are looking for big results.

With no Calella this year, the opening stage is more favourable towards the sprinters. It isn’t pan-flat, it does feature a small climb (5Km at 5.3%) 26 kilometers away from the finish, but the fast men will be going for the finish, an uphill drag at 5% at Sant Feliu de Guíxols

The race will be heading towards France on the second stage. It is one for the sprinters where the fast men will battle it out in Perpignan by the mediterranean. But again there are some hilltops that need to be tackled before getting there, like the first day, it’s a stage where a breakaway win is definitely possible.

The race will head into the Pyrenees on stage three and the first finale will be at La Molina, with 12.1 kilometers at 4.5%, with a small descent near the top at the ski station. A classic finish in the stage it will see a stage that’s not too selective but will be enough to dictate who are the riders who will be fighting for the overall classification.

The queen stage will see the peloton go up Boí Taüll, The stage isn’t flat, but the differences will be made here. The finish is above 2000 meters of altitude in an unfamiliar ascent, 13 kilometers at 6%. It’s the queen stage and the day where the climbers have to do the most damage.

The fifth day is another stage that should suit the sprinters, however with a trap as usual in Catalunya. The start of the stage will have a climb that may see a strong group go up the road, which would threaten the result of the stage. The rest of the course though is largely flat, and the sprinters will be looking to grab another win.

The sixth stage will be suited for a breakaway, it's a traditional day which the race organizers always fit in where it is too hard for the sprinters on paper, but too easy to make differences in the climbs. It’s a classic hilly day with the start and finish near Tarragona, which features a loop around the hills which should favour the puncheurs and rouleurs.

The final day sees the traditional finish in Barcelona. It will be a short explosive day with six laps of the Montjuic circuit which will once again feature the most explosive vertent of the ascent. It can make the race more explosive and selective. With the gaps unlikely to be big, this is a day that can make big changes in the overall classification if the race implodes.