2025 Volta a Catalunya Race Preview
The details of this year's 2025 Volta a Catalunya are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
Volta a Catalunya 2025: GC Favourites
The Volta a Catalunya is an exception to the unspoken rule that stage races include at least one time trial, favouring climbers who may lack prowess against the clock. However, with a rider like Juan Ayuso in the mix, this may prove to be less significant. The Barcelona-born youngster is on fire this season.
He already secured a prestigious stage race victory this month. Ayuso clinched the Tirreno-Adriatico title. In addition to this, he also won the Faun DrĂ´me Classic and the Trofeo Laigueglia.
In the Volta a Catalunya, the overall victory is likely to be decided in stages 3 and 6. While the final day’s hilly criterium often sees significant action, it typically doesn’t lead to major shifts in the general classification. The stage 4 finish on Montserrat involves an 8.8-kilometre climb at an average gradient of 6.6%. Although this ascent can create time gaps, the preceding terrain isn’t particularly challenging, so the differences may not be substantial.
Stage 3 is the week’s most demanding in terms of elevation gain, with riders tackling 5,093 climbing metres over a 218.6-kilometre course. The final climb to La Molina is 12.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 4.3%. On paper, this isn’t overly taxing, but just before it lies the Coll de la Creueta, a 20.3-kilometre ascent at 5.1%, making this stage particularly grueling.
While the 3rd stage can be described as a slow burner, the 6th stage 6 is a compact thriller. The riders tackle nearly 4,064 metres of elevation gain over 159 kilometres. The final climb to the Sanctuary of Queralt is 5.9 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.5%, featuring sections that frequently peak into double-digits.
The start list features three former winners: Primož Roglič (2023), Adam Yates (2021), and Nairo Quintana (2016). The first two have had subdued seasons so far, with Roglic finishing eighth in the Volta ao Algarve and Yates placing a disappointing sixteenth in the Tirreno-Adriatico. On the other hand, the Brit did win the Tour of Oman in February. And Quintana, well, he failed to make a significant impact since his comeback last year, so it’s hard to consider him a key contender.
Favourites 2025 Volta a Catalunya\n***** Juan Ayuso\n**** Primoz Roglic, Mikel Landa, Lennert Van Eetvelt\n*** Lenny Martinez, Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Adam Yates\n** Enric Mas, Simon Yates, Ben O’Connor, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Felix Gall\n* Laurens De Plus, Wilco Kelderman, Emanuel Buchmann, Giulio Pellizzari
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