The 103rd edition of the Spanish Catalunya Cycling Road Race, “Volta Ciclista a Catalunya“, wrapped up from March 18th to 24th, 2024. Spanning 1,173.5km over 7 stages, the race starts in northeastern Spain, Sant Feliu de Guixols and ends its journey at Barcelona’s Montjuic Hill on March 24th. Races for each stage commenced at 11:30 am (Spanish time). 日本語
Montjuic goal line
- Stage 1 ー 174km
March 18th Sant Feliu de Guíxols - Stage 2 ー 186.5km
March 19th Mataro – Vall de Camprodon - Stage 3 ー 176.5km
March 20th San Joan de las Abadesses – Port Ainé (Pallars Sobirà) - Stage 4 ー 169km
March 21st Sort – Lleida - Stage 5 ー 167.5km
March 22nd Altafulla – Viladecans The Style Outlet - Stage 6 ー 154.5km
March 23rd Berga – Queralt - Stage 7 ー 145.5km
March 24th Barcelona
Route (Source: Volta)
The first day’s stage featured an intermediate mountain section, but the difficulty level soared on the second day with a challenging mountain course culminating at the super-category Vallter summit, towering at 2,135m above sea level. This stage, spanning from snow-capped mountain ranges to the Mediterranean coastline, thoroughly tested the mental and physical endurance of the athletes. As they ventured into the mountainous terrain, they encountered adverse weather conditions. Even though it rained heavily, making it difficult to broadcast, Tadej Pogačar kept pushing forward without any trouble. Notably, no one in this year’s Volta a Catalunya could match his level of competition.
2nd stage profile (Source: Volta)
In contrast to the challenging 2,135-meter-high mountain ascent of the second stage, the final stage at Montjuic in Barcelona offered a relatively stable terrain, and Tadej Pogačar had his sights set on winning.
Final stage: Montjuic Hill
Despite being overtaken by three competitors just before the final stretch, Tadej Pogačar rallied to claim victory. The Slovenian, who debuted professionally in 1997, currently rides for UAE Team Emirates at only 25 years old.
Tadej Pogačar
The Volta a Catalunya Women’s Race debuted in 2018 and has since been held four times, including Barcelona in 2018 and Sant Cugat del Valles from 2021 to 2023. The upcoming event in 2024 is scheduled to span three days from June 7th to 9th.
Each stage of this race is carefully chosen from various regions across Catalonia, offering diverse routes that rival prestigious competitions like the Giro Donne and the Tour de France Femmes. With its captivating routes, including challenging mountain terrains, the race is poised to draw female athletes globally.
Volta a Catalunya Women’s Race (Source: Volta)
For more information on stages, participating teams, and host cities, please visit the official website “Woman’s Volta“.
If you want to ask for more photos of the last stage in Barcelona, please contact us via email: dsjguell@gmail.com
Photographer: Haoran Hu (Stage 7 Barcelona)
Editorial Director: Shangjie Ding