2025 Volta a Catalunya Stage 3 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 3 of the 2025 Volta a Catalunya! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
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On the third day of action, the riders tackle a 218. 6- kilometre route to La Molina, the second most frequented finish in the past eleven editions after Barcelona. The final 12. 1 kilometres feature a 4. 3% gradient, which may not seem too daunting, but considering the stage includes nearly 5, 100 metres of total elevation gain, it presents a more formidable challenge.
La Molina hosted stage finishes from 2014 to 2019, where Miguel Ángel López (2019), Alejandro Valverde (2018, 2017), Daniel Martin (2016), Tejay van Garderen (2015), and Joaquim Rodríguez (2014) celebrated victories in the Pyrenean ski resort.
After a brief hiatus, La Molina returned to the race itinerary in 2022, inspiring Ben O’Connor to a solo triumph. The Australian attacked early on the final climb and maintained his lead over a chasing group, led by Juan Ayuso and Nairo Quintana.
In 2023, the race' s main contenders, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, produced a thrilling finale on the ascent to La Molina. In the closing kilometres, the Belgian launched a blistering attack, while the Slovenian struggled to keep pace. During the final showdown, Evenepoel convincingly secured the win in the sprint.
The climb to La Molina isn' t the most challenging in the world. The initial segment ascends for 9 kilometres at a steady 6%, followed by a slight descent, and then climbs at 4% over the final 2 kilometres to the finish. From base to summit, the ascent measures 12. 1 kilometres with an average gradient of 4. 3%.
However, the final climb doesn' t stand alone. Earlier in the route, riders must conquer the Coll d' Estenalles (13. 3 kilometres at 3. 9%), Coll de Batallola (7 kilometres at 3. 4%), and the seemingly endless Coll de la Creueta (20. 3 kilometres at 5. 1%). Most of the climbing is concentrated in the latter part of the race, with approximately 70 of the final 100 kilometres trending uphill. While not always steep, these sections remain taxing, especially at the end of such a long and challenging day in the saddle.
The first three riders to cross the finish line receive time bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints offer 3, 2, and 1 seconds.
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