Forecasts of excessive winds have performed havoc with the Volta a Catalunya’s hardest mountain stage this 12 months, with race organisers pressured to droop the mid-stage ascent of the hors categorie Col de Pradell on Saturday.
Stage 6 might be drastically decreased in size as a consequence, from 159km to only 118km, however the closing class 1 summit end of Queralt will stay in place. The different two ascents, the Col de Battaola (Cat. 3) and Collada de San Isidro (Cat. 1), are additionally nonetheless a part of the dramatically-revised route.
The native authorities really helpful that the Col de Pradell, which peaks out at 1,700 metres above sea degree and is greater than 500 metres larger than any of the opposite climbs, shouldn’t be ascended due to excessive winds anticipated within the space, forcing the organisers to revise the route.
“This sixth stage might be shortened in distance, and it’ll not be doable to climb the Coll del Pradell as a result of its summit is at an altitude of 1,700 meters, the place the hazards are extra extreme,” organisers acknowledged in a press launch, noting that activation can be taken underneath the VENTCAT emergency process plan.
The Pradell climb is 15 kilometres lengthy and averages 6.7%. There are gradients in some locations of 18% and with cemented segments near the summit, making the Pradell was far and away the toughest climb of the 2025 Volta. It was launched for the primary time final 12 months on a close to–equivalent path to this editioin, received by Tadej Pogačar with a solo assault on the San Isidro.
The organisers additionally famous within the press launch that race infrastructure might be decreased on the summit of Queralt to try to guarantee they don’t get overly affected by the excessive winds. The stage can also be delayed by over an hour to 13:55 native time.
The sturdy winds presently affecting Catalunya had been already very noticeable all through the day in stage 5, serving to to spark some main echelons within the final hour of racing. As race chief Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) put it, “there was no shock there have been echelons, the one query was when”.
It stays to be seen what impact it will have on the GC final result, the place Ayuso presently leads by one second over Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
This is much from the primary time that climate has altered the route of the Volta a Catalunya, largely within the Pyrenees, the place a number of mountain passes have been cancelled in previous editions. This 12 months, nonetheless, the race got here by means of the Pyrenees on stage 3 with no meteorological setbacks, just for the most important stage of the race to be affected.
The race ends on Sunday with 88.2 kilometres, half of that on six hilly circuits in Barcelona.
