The spring classics season may be about to begin but that doesn't mean that the stage racing will be completely shelved. While the one-day specialists do the first battles of the cobbles, Catalonia will be the scene of another big fight between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador when they test themselves against each other in this week's Volta a Catalunya. After several years of suffering, the Spanish race could not have imagined a better turnaround as a start list featuring the two leading grand tour contenders will make it one of the most competitive stage race before July.

 

Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico play a special dual role as they both serve as the final, crucial preparation for the classics specialists and the first big test for the stage race riders. After the end of the Italian race, however, the coming month has traditionally been almost entirely about the classics, with the one-day battles in Northern Europe taking all the spotlight.

 

That doesn't mean that the grand tour riders are doing nothing these days. Several stage races - highlighted by the WorldTour races Volta a Catalunya and Vuelta al Pais Vasco - take place in the southern part of the continent over the next few weeks and even though they are partly preparation for the Ardennes classics, they are much more than that. For those of the grand tour riders that avoid the one-day races entirely, they are some of their biggest objectives in the early part of the season and usually the scene of some of the most exciting battles between the stars that will battle it out in the three-week races later in the year.

 

Traditionally they may have struggled a bit for attention at a time where the classics are on the minds of most fans but in the last few years the Volta a Catalunya has bucked the trend. The Spanish race has had several difficult years but is now going through its revival and the 2014 and 2015 editions are the most exciting in recent history. For the second year in a row, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome are set to face each other in their final battle before June's Criterium du Dauphiné and after we missed the duel in last week’s Tirreno-Adriatico, the race will be extremely exciting. That's a fight that is just as intriguing as the one Fabian Cancellara, Sep Vanmarcke, Niki Terptra, and Peter Sagan will be engaged in on the Belgian cobbles and during the next week, Catalonia will be the centre of the cycling world.

 

The strong line-up marks a bit of a turnaround for the Spanish race. Held for the first time in 1911, it is actually the oldest professional race in the Iberian country and the fourth-oldest stage race in the world, only behind the Tour de France (1903), the Tour of Belgium (1908) and the Giro d'Italia (1909). Right since its early days, it has played an important role on the cycling calendar and played a big role in cycling's history. Although naturally dominated by Spanish winners, the race has always attracted the biggest international stars, and riders like Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Bernhard Thevenet, Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly, Robert Millar, Claudio Chiappucci, Laurent Jalabert, and Alex Zülle join the biggest Spanish riders on the list of winners.

 

The 2000s, however, have been a difficult time for one of the most historic races on the cycling calendar. The Volta a Catalunya was maybe the biggest loser with the introduction of the now defunct ProTour in 2005. Moved from its usual June spot, Spain's oldest stage race was held during the second week of the Giro and as a consequence it gained little public attention. Among the riders, it was mostly seen as a first race back after a short break in the lead up to the Tour and the biggest riders were rarely even close to their best form, meaning that the race winners were a bit down in the rider hierarchy.

 

With the Tour of California wishing to turn into a spring race, an opportunity arose to revive the struggling Spanish race. In 2010 the calendar was restructured, and the Catalan race has since been held in March as another opportunity for the strongest GC riders to make use of any early season peak of form. It has taken the place of the now defunct Setmana Catalana and later the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon which has been moved to an April date.

 

The effect on the race has been massive, and with the added bonus of important WorldTour points at hand, the race has since been able to line up a number of the sport's biggest names. While the month of May is usually a training period for the grand tour riders not doing the Giro, late March and early April is typical the time for the first peak condition for the Tour de France contenders. Even though it's always hard to find the right combination of the four early WorldTour stage races, Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Volta a Catalunya, and Vuelta al Pais Vasco, meaning that not all the biggest stars are present, the days when the race is mere Tour de France preparation are certainly over.

 

The race still finds itself in a difficult battle though. The week after Milan-Sanremo also offers high-level racing in Criterium International and Settimana Coppi e Bartali. With the former being organized by Tour organizers ASO, the teams have a special incentive to attend the French race and in 2013 the Tour start in Corsica - the new venue for the short French race - meant that most of the Tour contenders, including Froome and Contador, preferred to head to France.

 

With that incentive now gone, the Catalonian race has certainly been the big winner of the battle in recent years and after Froome was forced out of Tirreno, the organizers can offer a start list that is fully at the level of the one in the Italian race. With Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez also on the start line, the race has attracted the entire top four from last year's Vuelta a Espana, and one can throw in a number of other great stage race riders, spearheaded by Froome's loyal domestique Richie Porte who arrives in Spain after a dominant win in Paris-Nice.

 

Last year's race was expected to be an exciting battle between Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez as the race had attracted the entire top 4 from the 2013 Tour de France. Froome arrived at the race after back problems had forced him out of Tirreno-Adriatico and he clearly lacked his usual spark. His attacks in the race’s two summit finishes failed to split the race and instead it was Rodriguez who made use of his explosive skills to win the first mountain stage. The Spaniard defended his lead in the queen stage where Tejay van Garderen exploited the battle between the big favourites to take a surprise win, and held onto the lead in the final three stages to win his home race for the second time, with Contador and van Garderen completing the podium. All three riders will be back in 2015 and are again among the favourites to shine in the mountainous Spanish race.

 

The course

The Volta a Catalunya has always been a mixed affair and the terrain makes it possible for the organizers to vary its toughness quite a bit. In the past, it has included short, flat prologues and mountain time trials but in the last four editions, there has been no timed event in the Catalonian race.

 

The 2008 and 2010 editions also stand out as being rather easy as they featured no big summit finish, meaning that the race was mostly decided in a pair of rolling stages. In the last few years, the race seems to have found a rather fixed format, with no time trials, one or two major summit finishes in the Pyrenees at the mid-point of the race, and several rolling stages. This has made the race one for the pure climbers and in fact it is probably the WorldTour stage race that is best suited to this group of riders. However, the summit finishes have rarely been very tough and more suited to riders with an explosive finish than the real mountain goats.

 

One thing is unavoidable: there is no incentive for the pure sprinters to travel to Catalonia. The terrain is very hilly and while not many stages take place in the high mountains, there are no completely flat stages either. Many of the stages are often decided in sprints but it requires a good set of climbing legs to still be in contention in the final dash to the line. It is no surprise that the two most recent editions have been a treat for riders like Gianni Meersman and Luka Mezgec and as this year's edition is very similar to the previous ones, that type of riders will again find plenty of opportunities during the 7-day race.

 

In the last two years, the stage has had two big summit finishes but this year only the fourth stage will venture into the high mountains. The remaining six stage are all rolling affairs that could suit attackers or fast riders who can win a reduced bunch sprint and as the mountain stage is not very hard, the race is less selective than it has been in the past few years.

 

Stage 1:

For the fourth year in a row, the race kicks off on the Mediterranean coast in the city of Calella which again hosts both the start and the finish of the opening stage. Those four stages have all had different routes but the finale has been the same, meaning that the riders will know what to expect from a stage that has traditionally been suited to sprinters with good climbing legs.

 

At 185.2km, this year's first stage is longer than usual. From the start, the riders follow the flat coastal road to Mataro where they will contest the first intermediate sprint at the 21km mark before they leave the coast to return back to the start in Calella by going up and down a small uncategorized climb. Back in the starting city, the riders will do the second intermediate sprint after 47.5km of racing.

 

From there they continue along the coastal road before turning inlands along flat roads to the city of Hostalric. This signals the end of the flat part of the stage as the riders leave the valley to head up the category 2 Alt de Viladrau  (11.8km, 3.8%, max. 7%). There is no real descent as the riders stay on a plateau until the hit the category 1 Alt de Coll Formic (7.8km, 5.2%, max. 9%) whose top comes 55.5km from the finish.

 

The climb is followed by a long descent back to the valley road and a short section of slightly rising roads before the riders reach the final that is unchanged compared to the last three years. It consists of the category 3 climb Alt de Collsacreu (7.4km, 3.0%, max. 6.0%) whose top comes 18.5km from the finish. Those final kilometres consist of a partly technical descent back to the coastal road where the riders turn left to head along flat roads for the final 8km back to the finish in Callella. There is a slight rise 5.5km from the finish but otherwise the finale is uncomplicated. The riders turn right in a roundabout 2km from the finish and from there it is straight all the way to the finish. The roads are both slightly ascending and descending in the finale. A small descent leads to the final 500m which have an average gradient of 2%.

 

While the finale is unchanged, the first part of the stage seems to be a bit harder than it has been in the past three years. This may make things a bit more difficult for the sprinters but history proves that the mellow gradients of the final climb are not too tough for the fast finishers. The big climbs all come pretty far from the finish and this is where the sprinters can be put into difficult. A bunch sprint is the most likely outcome but the riders need to stay aware.

 

In 2012, they failed to catch the early breakaway which allowed Michael Albasini to take a solo win that set him up for his final overall victory. In 2013, all was set for a bunch sprint when Sky split things on the final descent, with Bradley Wiggins, Alejandro Valverde, Joaquim Rodriguez, Michele Scarponi, and Daniel Martin being some of the 13 riders that arrived 28 seconds earlier than the peloton. Gianni Meersman had made the split and the Belgian had no trouble taking the first of two stage wins in the sprint. Last year things were less complicated and it ended in a bunch sprint where Luka Mezgec came out on top.

 

 

Stage 2:

The early part of the Volta a Catalunya is traditionally dominated by the same kind of rolling stages where a late climb is followed by a descent to the finish. In 2015, it will be more of the same as stage 2 should be a similar affair to the opening stage. However, a new finish in Olot should make more unpredictable racing as the nature of the late climbs may be unknown to most of the fast finishers.

 

The 191.8km stage brings the riders from Mataro on the Mediterranean coast to a finish in Olot. After a lap of a flat 10km circuit around the starting city, the riders leave the coast to start their journey towards the finish and they will travel in a northwesterly direction for most of the day. The roads are mainly flat, with the category 3 (2.8km 5.3%, max. 7%) at the 26.5km mark being the main challenge. As they get closer to Olot, they will start to climb very gradually until the reach the finishing city after 117km of racing.

 

The final part of the stage is made up of a 74.2km circuit on the western outskirts of the city. After a small climb, the first part is mainly descending and flat and the highlights are the two intermediate sprints that come with 54.4km and 27.7km to respectively. However, the stage has a nasty sting in its tail as the finale is a lot hillier. First the riders do a small climb before they reach the category 3 Alt de Montagut (2.1km, 4.5%, max. 7%) which summits 14.7km from the finish. After a short descent, the roads are gradually rising and the roadbook indicates that there will be a 3.8km section with an average gradient of 5.2%.

 

The summit comes with 6.2km to go and then there’s a short descent before the riders hit a long, mainly flat section. The final 500m are slightly descending at an average of 2%. The finale is pretty uncomplicated with just two small turns between the 3km and 2km to go marks. The final left-hand turn comes with 1300m to go and from there it is a long, straight road to the finish.

 

Spanish roadbooks are famously known for being misleading and it is very strange that the riders have made the small rise to Montagut a categorized climb while the much harder climb to Olot is uncategorized. There is a chance that it is not as hard as the roadbook indicates but if we can trust the organizers, this stage is definitely not one for the sprinters. The final climb may not be hard enough for the GC riders to make a difference but it should be a much smaller field that sprints for the win. A late attack by a classics rider may even pay off but with the GC likely to be close, it will be hard to stay away.

 

Olot has not hosted a stage finish in recent years.

 

 

Stage 3:

For the fourth year in a row, the city of Girona which is the base for a host of professional riders, will play a prominent role in this race. While it served as both start and finishing city three years ago, it was the point of departure in 2013. In 2014 the riders finished in the cycling hotbed a few kilometres from the Mediterranean coast and this year it will host both the start and the finish of the third stage. In 2012, the stage finish in Girona was a pretty tough one while last year’s stage was suited to the sprinters. This year the organizers have again opted for the finale that was used in 2012 and this should turn it into a pretty tough affair.

 

The short 156.6km stage can be divided into two parts. First the riders do a 95.6km circuit on the sourthern outskirts of the city. The first part is mainly flat until the riders turn around and start to head back towards Girona. Here they will go up the category 3 Alt de Romanya (2.6km, 3.4%, max. 6%) and the category 3 Alt de la Ganga (3.7km, 4%, max. 6%) at the 41.4km and 57.4km marks respectively. In between, they will contest the first intermediate sprint and 8.6km after the latter climb, the second sprint is located.

 

Another flat section leads to the bottom of the category 1 Alt des Angels (6km, 5.5%, max. 8%) which will play an important role in the final part of the stage two. After the top, the riders descend for 10.4km before they hit the flat 2.6km that lead to the finish.

 

The second part of the stage consists of a 61km circuit. The flat start is identical to the early part of the first circuit but this time the riders will turn around a bit earlier. Instead of tackling the two small category 3 climbs, they will face the category 2 Alt de Santa Pellaia (5.9km, 4%, max. 6%) which summits with 37.6km to go. Then a long descent and a short flat section lead onto the final part of the first circuit which means that the riders will again tackle the Alt dels Angels. Like before, the summit comes 13km from the finish and then it is the same 10.4km descent and 2.6km flat section that lead to the line.

 

There are no major technical challenges in the finale. The riders will pass straight through two roundabouts between the 2km and 3km to go marks as they head along a slightly winding road. The final kilometre is straight and flat, with a roundabout located 500m from the line.

 

The Alt dels Angels is a pretty hard climb and this stage is definitely not one for the sprinters. When the finale was last used in 2012, the climbs was the scene of some attacking from the GC riders – both on the climb and on the descent – but it was a 31-rider group that arrived at the finish together, with Michael Albasini beating Dario Cataldo and Rigoberto Uran in the sprint. It would be no surprise to see some of the GC riders try a move again this year but the climb is probably not hard enough to create a big selection. With the GC still being close, it will be hard for the early break to stay away and so the race is likely to be decided in a sprint from a small group.

 

When Girona hosted a finish in 2014, the finale was a lot easier and it was Luka Mezgec who won the stage by beating Roberto Ferrari and Daniele Ratto in a bunch sprint.

 

 

Stage 4:

The first three stages have had lots of climbs but for the GC riders, they are unlikely to have been hard enough to make a selection. The riders that are expected to battle for the overall victory will probably have to wait for Thursday’s queen stage before making their big moves. For the second year in a row, La Molina will play host to a big summit finish in the Pyrenees and as it is the only mountain stage in the 2015 edition, it will be the day when the climbers have to make the difference and when the race will probably be decided.

 

The stage is almost identical to stage 3 of last year’s race as the main changes come in the first part. However, the organizers have also shortened the flat section between the two final climbs to make things a bit tougher. At 188.4km, it is longer than it was 12 months ago and brings the riders from Tona to the summit of the La Molina climb. As it is often the case in the Catalonian race, the riders start the stage by doing a lap of a small circuit. Like in the past stages, the 10.5km are completely flat and then it is time for the riders to start their long northerly journey to the Pyrenees.

 

The first part of the stage is completely flat and the highlight is the intermediate sprint which comes at the 31.3km mark. A little later, the climbing hostilities start when the riders hit the category 1 Alt de Bracons (10.5km, 4.9%, max. 12%). A fast descent leads back to a flat section as the riders pass through the city of Olot which hosted the finish of stage 2 and contest the final intermediate sprint before they hit the final part which is almost identical to last year’s stage.

 

First the riders hit the category 1 Alt de Coubet (10km, 5.5%, max. 10%) which summits at the 90.6km mark. From the top, the riders follow a rather easy and gradual descent back to the valley and the city of Ripoll where they continue their westerly journey along slightly ascending roads. The truly brutal part of the stage starts just after the city of Gombren when 63.1km still remain.

 

The riders now go up the only HC climb of the race, the Alt de la Creueta (21km, 4.5%, max. 9%). The top comes 42.1km from the finish and the riders will now do a short descent before going up to La Molina. Here they pass the finish line from the opposite direction to start the long descent to the city of Alp.

 

Last year the riders now did a loop of a flat circuit in the valley before they returned to Alp and started the final climb. This year they will simply turn around immediately to head back up the road they had previously been descending to do the category 1 climb up to the finish in La Molina. The actual climb is only 5.3km long with an average gradient of 5.8% and maximum ramps 9% but it is uphill for a little bit longer. The change means that the penultimate climb is now located 21km closer to the finish than it was in 2014.

 

The final climb is a bit deceptive as the top actually comes with 1km to go. Then next 500m are slightly downhill before the road again kicks up with an average gradient of 3% for the final 500m. There’s a hairpin bend in the penultimate kilometre and another one which comes just as the riders pass the flamme rouge. Then there’s a sharp left-hand turn with 500m to go before the riders do a sweeping U-turn that leads onto the 50m finishing straight.

 

The stage contains a lot of climbing but the Catalonian climbs are long, gradual ascents that are not very steep. Furthermore, the final climb is pretty easy as it is both short and only has a pretty easy average gradient. The shorter distance between the final two climbs will give the riders less room to recover between the final two climbs but it can’t change the fact that the nature of the final climb makes it more suited to punchy riders than real climbers. Nonetheless, this is the day that will probably decide the race and where the stage race specialists have to make the difference. Chris Froome and Alberto Contador will have to make the race as hard as possible but it remains to be seen whether the final climb will be hard enough for them to drop the likes of Joaquim Rodriguez.

 

Last year Rodriguez showed that he is perfectly suited to this climb when he first responded to Chris Froome’s many attacks before he made one of his trademark accelerations to win the stage with a 5-second advantage over Alberto Contador while Nairo Quintana followed four seconds later. However, no less than 48 riders finished within a minute of the stage winner which says a lot about the easy nature of the climb. In 2001, a Vuelta a Espana stage finished here and it was Santiago Blanco who won from a breakaway while only Jose Maria Jimenez managed to escape on the final ascent, finishing 4 seconds ahead of an 18-rider group that contained all the main contenders.

 

 

Stage 5:

After the big battle between the GC riders in the Pyrenees, it is back into flatter terrain as the riders leave the high mountains to head back towards the coast and the traditional finish in Valls that is back on course for the third year in a row.

 

The 195.4km stage starts in the city of Alp at the bottom of the La Molina climb but unlike in the previous stage, the riders won’t venture into the high mountains. Instead, they will travel along gradual descending roads in a westerly direction before they contest the first intermediate sprint after 38.6km of racing. Then they will head south as they continue to descend out of the Pyrenean area.

 

In the city of Oliana, the riders reach flat roads which they will follow for most of the remaining part of the stage. Along the way, they will contest the final intermediate sprint after 103.4km of racing and then they reach the city of Guissona with 72.9km to go. From here, the course is completely identical to the one they had for last year’s fifth stage.

 

The flat roads are followed by a gradual uphill stretch to the city of Belltall and then the riders do the final part of the descent back to the coast. Instead of following the flat roads to Valls, however, the organizers have decided to follow a more straight line to the finish that send them up the only major climb of the day. The category 2 Alt de Lilla (4.1km, 4.8%, max. 7%) is a nasty little sting in the tail after a very long day in the saddle.

 

From the top, only 10.1km remain and they are almost all downhill, with the riders reaching the bottom just 3.4km from the line. However, the downhill is mostly on a long straight road that doesn't offer any real technical difficulties and it will be much easier for the peloton than for any escapees to keep a high pace in this section.

 

The stage ends on flat roads but the finish is a bit technical. 1.5km from the line, the riders turn left in a roundabout and 300m they go straight through another. Then they turn right in another one 400m down the road. It is immediately followed by a right-hand turn that leads to the final 90-degree left-hand turn just 600m from the line and the riders will even have to go straight through a roundabout just 100m from the finish. The road is slightly rising from 1500m to 1000m to go and then descends for the next 500m. The final 500m are ascending at an average gradient of 1%.

 

With the stage having featured on the course two years in a row, everybody knows what to expect from this stage. The final climb is one of the final chances for the GC riders to try to make a difference and history proves that they have often tested each other. However, the final climb is not hard enough to make a difference and the last two editions of this stage have both ended in reduced bunch sprints. As bigger time gaps have opened up, it could also be a day for a breakaway as many sprinters are uncertain about their ability to make it over the final climb. Last year the many attacks made for some very fast racing and it the riders had passed the halfway point before a break finally went clear. This year we can expect similarly aggressive racing and it should be a very fast stage on slightly descending roads.

 

Last year a little less than 100 riders arrived at the finish and it was Luka Mezgec who beat Julian Alaphilippe and Samuel Dumoulin in the sprint. In 2013 Simon Gerrans won the stage he had targeted by beating Gianni Meersman in the sprint.

 

 

Stage 6:

The GC riders who lost out in the queen stage are all hoping that they may be able to create a surprise in the hilly final stage but first they have to get through the penultimate stage. On paper it has the easiest finale of all stages and even though it includes a significant climb along the way, it should allow the sprinters a final chance to shine.

 

The stage brings the riders over 194.1km from Cervera to PortAventura and will see the riders finish their journey back to the Mediterranean coast. The first part of the stage consists of a long southwesterly run along rolling roads, with the highlight being the first intermediate sprint which comes at the 20.6km mark. Instead of going straight to the finishing city, however, the riders pass through a hilly area that will see them go up the category 1 Alt de Prades (11km, 4%, max. 6%). The summit comes with 106.3km to go and is followed by long, gradually descending roads until it again becomes flat for a few kilometres.

 

The riders have now turned and are heading towards the coast in a southeasterly direction. Before they can catch their first glimpse of the sea, they have to go up the category 3 Alt del Coli Roig (3.7km, 5%, max. 6%) whose summit comes with 40.2km to go. Then they descend for a few kilometres and contest the final intermediate sprint with 24.7km to go. From there the roads are completely flat as the riders complete their journey to the sea.

 

The finale is not too complicated as the riders will go straight through 3 roundabouts before the turn left in the roundabout just before the flamme rouge. From here, there are no major turns as the road only bends gradually to the right before the riders get to the 600m finishing straight. The final 500m are descending at a gradient of 2%.

 

On paper, this is likely to be a day for the sprinters but at this late point in a stage race, a breakaway always has a chance. Last year the easiest stage also came on the penultimate day and back then the sprint teams failed to catch the breakaway, with Stef Clement soloing clear to take a surprise win. A similar scenario could play out in 2015 but the most likely outcome is a final bunch sprint.

 

PortAventura hasn’t hosted a stage finish in recent years.

 

 

Stage 7:

In 2013 the race ended with a stage in Barcelona that included several laps of a circuit with the famous Montjuic climb and it produced some very exciting racing as Michele Scarponi used the ascent to attack and move himself up into 3rd on the final day of racing. The organizers were so pleased with that stage that they again used the very same circuit in the Catalonian capital for last year’s race and it will be back on the course for the 2015 race too.

 

The final day sees the riders tackle a short 126.6km stage and like last year, the race will both start and finish in Barcelona. In fact, the stage is very similar to last year’s and only has been slightly modified in the early part. From the start at the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat on the western outskirts of the city, the riders head along flat roads in a northwesterly direction before they tackle the category 3 Alt de Castellbisbal (3.7km, 3.5%, max. 5%) whose top comes at the 15km mark.

 

At the summit, the riders will turn around and head along flat roads back towards the coast, contesting the first intermediate sprint at the 29.8km mark. They will continue along flat roads to the coastal city of Castelldefels where the final intermediate sprint comes after 46.7km of racing. From there, they follow the road back towards the centre of Barcelona where they reach the start-finish area after 75.4km of racing.

 

The race ends with 8 laps of the 6.4km finishing circuit in the Montjuic park and it is a tricky affair. From the line, it goes almost straight up the category 3 Alt Montjuic (2km, 5.7%, max. 8%) that is well-known for most bike riders. At the top, 3.9km remain to get back to the line and they are almost entirely downhill. The descent is not overly technical and follows a winding road. The riders turn left in a roundabout with 2km to go and go straight through a roundabout around the flamme rouge and then the road only has some sweeping turns as it continues its way back down to the finish. The final 2km are descending at an average of 3%.

 

The Montjuic is an iconic climb in cycling. In 2009, Thor Hushovd won a tough uphill sprint on its slopes in the Tour de France while the climb last featured in a grand tour in the 2012 Vuelta. On that occasion, Philippe Gilbert and Joaquim Rodriguez escaped and held the peloton at bay on the descent, with Gilbert taking an easy sprint win, his first victory for BMC.

 

When the final stage finished on the same circuit in 2013, Thomas De Gendt and David Lopez attacked 22km from the finish to join the early breakaway and after dropping their companions, they were joined from behind by Michele Scarponi and Robert Kiserlovski. With Scarponi riding for GC, the quartet stayed away to the finish where De Gendt won the sprint to take his only victory of 2013 while Scarponi moved up to 3rd on GC. Behind, a 57-rider group sprinted for the minor placings. Joaquim Rodriguez tried to attack overall leader Dan Martin on the final laps but the climb was not hard enough to make a difference.

 

Last year the stage was held in rainy conditions and the organizers had to change the circuit to avoid the most difficult parts of the descent. Alberto Contador tried to attack overall leader Joaquim Rodriguez which turned out to be impossible. Meanwhile, the early breakaway managed to stay away and it was a strong Lieuwe Westra who dropped his companions and soloed away to a big win.

 

This sets the scene for what we can expect from this year's final stage. This is the final chance for the GC riders and so they simply have to try a move on a circuit that is pretty hard to control. However, Montjuic is usually not hard enough to make a difference among the best climbers and it will be hard for anyone to repeat Scarponi’s coup from two years ago. The circuit is tailormade for attacks and we should witness a very aggressive race. With no obvious favourite for the stage, an early breakaway has a good chance in this kind of stage but it could also come down to a sprint from a small group or a late attack on the finishing circuits could pay off.

 

 

The weather

The riders had terrible conditions for the second part of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico and they will be hopeful to get some sunshine in Catalonia. For the organizers, it will be important as well as it is risky business to send the riders up to more than 1725m of altitude at this early time of the year. Three years ago the queen stage was held under tumultuous circumstances, with the finish line being relocated midway through the race and all time gaps being neutralized, and everybody will be hopeful to avoid a repeat scenario. Last year the final mountain stage was held in foggy conditions that made it impossible to produce live images from the race.

 

Unfortunately, the riders will probably have to tackle some rain in the first part of the race. Monday is set to be wet day on the Mediterranean coast and this could make the final descent even trickier. More rain is in store for Tuesday’s stage but it should be a less wet day than the opener.

 

Luckily things are set to improve for the final half of the race. Wednesday is forecasted to be cloudy but at the moment there is no rain on the horizon. Even more important, Thursday will be a beautiful sunny day in the Pyrenees and the only slight annoyance is the fact that it will be pretty cold. This means that the queen stage doesn’t seem to be in danger and hopefully we will get love images from the race. The beautiful weather is expected to continue for the final three stages but of course these are still early days and a lot can change before we get to the end of the race.

 

The favourites

The Volta a Catalunya may have struggled for attention but those days are now over. Even though the Belgian classics season will get underway at the same time, there is no doubt that the formidable line-up in Spain means that the cycling world will be just as focused on Catalonia as they will be on the Flemish heartland. Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali may not be in attendance but with Chris Froome and Alberto Contador both on the start line, the scene is set for a huge battle. Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde will add an extra layer of intrigue to the race that will be one of the most hotly contested stage races before the Giro d’Italia.

 

Froome and Contador may be the big names but none of them can be very satisfied with the course. As it has been the case for several years now, there won’t be any time trials which means that the race will be decided in the mountains. Nonetheless, it is not a race for pure climbers. The major mountains in Catalonia are also not very hard. Most of the stages are well-known and history shows that the late climbs in stages 1, 3, 5 and 7 are unlikely to be enough to separate the GC contenders. Stages 2 and 6 are pretty easy too and unless something unexpected happens, the main riders should all finish in the same time on those days too.

 

This means that everything will probably be decided on the queen stage but that stage is not one for the pure climbers either. The climbs on stage 4 are long, gradual ascents with rather mellow gradients and this means that the time differences between the best riders are unlikely to be very big. The climb to La Molina is very short and not very steep. An average gradient of 5.8% is rarely enough to separate the best climbers and as there are no very steep sections – the maximum gradient is just 9% - there is very little room to make a difference. That was reflected in last year’s stage where Chris Froome’s many attacks were all fruitless and instead it was the explosive power of Joaquim Rodriguez that won the race. With 48 riders finishing within a minute of the winner, this is not a very hard climb. It may take place at altitude but it is more a climb for an Ardennes classic than a real mountaintop finish.

 

This year the organizers have tried to make the stage tougher by shortening the distance between the final two climbs. However, the penultimate ascent is not very steep either and there is simply too much flat road in between to keep an attack going all the way to the finish. It will be easier for teams like Sky and Tinkoff-Saxo to make the stage hard by riding tempo on that climb but the battle between the overall contenders will probably be made on the final climb.

 

There is always a chance that unexpected things could happen in one of the remaining six stages like when the peloton split on the descent of stage 1 in 2013 and like when Scarponi attacked on the Montjuic in the final stage that same year. However, the main impact on GC from those stages is likely to be the bonus seconds. Keeping with Spanish tradition, the race didn’t have bonus seconds for several years but they were introduced for last year’s race. This year there will again be 3, 2 and 1 seconds in the intermediate sprints and 10, 6 and 4 seconds at the finish line and in a race that will be decided by very small time gaps, they can turn out to be very important.

 

Froome and Contador may be the two best climbers in the race but on this course, it will be hard for them to win. The race is more suited to explosive climbers who also excel in the Ardennes and this means that Alejandro Valverde stands out as the man to beat. Since he won the race in 2009, he has desperately tried to repeat the win a race that is close to the heart of his Movistar team but he has had an incredible amount of bad luck on the Catalonian roads. In 2012, he was caught out behind a crash and lost time due to an internal battle between Movistar and Omega Pharma-Quick Step and in 2013 he crashed out of the race at a point where he had taken the overall lead.

 

After a one-year absence, Valverde is back on Catalonian roads in what will be his final major race before the Ardennes classics. The Movistar captain may not have been at the same exceptional level that he was in the early part of 2014 but he has still had a solid start to the year. He delivered one of his best ever solo performances to win the hardest race in Mallorca and he was a fine second in the Dubai Tour queen stage which was a bit too explosive to suit him perfectly. He went on to finish on the podium in the Tour of Oman after a race that proved that he is not quite as strong as he was one year ago.

 

Valverde seemed to be the strongest rider in Strade Bianche but he did too much work and so came up short on the final climb. Since then he has had a short break from competition but had an amazing return when he turned out to be the strongest climber in the GP Nobili. Having escaped with Davide Rebellin on the final climb, he was unable to keep the sprint teams at bay but his performance clearly suggests that he is still at a very high level.

 

Valverde will arrive in Catalonia straight from Sanremo as he will make a belated return to Milan-Sanremo one day before the start of the race. That should not be too much of a hindrance though as the first three stages are unlikely to have an impact on the race. He should be fully ready to go by the time the riders get to the queen stage which suits him down to the ground. The climb to La Molina is pretty short and suited to explosive riders and when it comes to explosiveness, Valverde I unrivalled in this field.

 

Valverde is not at the same climbing level as Froome and Contador but we doubt that they will be able to drop the Movistar rider on this kind of climb. The road even flattens in the final kilometre and if he is stille there at that point, he will be virtually impossible to beat in this kind of 3% sprint. Sky and Tinkoff-Saxo will probably try to make the race hard on the penultimate climb but unlike the pure Ardennes specialist, Valverde is able to cope with that kind of challenge.

 

Furthermore, Valverde has another ace up his sleeve. Stages 2 and 5 could both come down to sprints from pretty small groups and here Valverde could be in the mix. He is the only GC rider who can realistically aspire for the win in those stages and this may allow him to pick up very important bonus seconds. He can also sprint for seconds in the intermediate sprints where he will be impossible to beat for his fellow GC riders. Valverde simply couldn’t have designed a better course and this make him our favourite to win the race.

 

Like last year Chris Froome enters the race as the big question mark. He was in outstanding condition in Ruta del Sol where he confirmed his status as the best climber in the world by taking a storming victory in the final mountain stage. Everything was set for another overall win in Tirreno-Adriatico but like last year a health issue forced him to cancel his participation at the last minute. 12 months ago, back problems put him on the sideline and this year it was a bout of illness that prevented him from returning to the Italian race.

 

Froome missed a couple of days training but has been back in training for more than a week. There is no doubt that the illness has cost him a bit but it remains to be seen how far he is from his best level. He will still have the full backing of his Sky team and this indicates that he can’t be too far off and Froome never enters a big stage race without the ambition to win.

 

If anyone had questioned that Froome is the best climber in the world, the Ruta del Sol should have put those doubts to rest. Furthermore, the Brit is probably in better condition than Contador at this moment as he can allow himself to have a small peak at this time as he is not aiming for the Giro. There is little doubt that he will put in one of his usual searing accelerations in the queen stage to try to drop the more explosive climbers.

 

Usually, Froome is a couple of steps above the likes of Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde in the mountains but it will be hard for him to drop those two riders on this climb. Even if he manages to rid himself of one of them, that won’t be enough and he will again have to slow down which could allow a regrouping to take place. He needs to distance them before the final kilometre as he won’t have a chance against those two riders in a 3% sprint. Furthermore, he may see Valverde pick up bonus seconds in the easier stages which will make it even harder for him to win the race. However, he is usually faster than Contador in a flat sprint and if anyone has a chance to take a solo win in the queen stage, Froome is the most obvious candidate. He will have his work cut out for him but a first win in this race is definitely within his reach.

 

Last year Joaquim Rodriguez came to this race straight from an altitude training camp as he had decided to skip both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. He turned out to be in storming condition. He won the La Molina stage and managed to stay with Alberto Contador in the final mountain stage which was enough for him to take a second overall victory in his home race.

 

This year the local hero has had a different preparation. As the Giro is not on his schedule, he has had a heavier racing program in March as he recently did Tirreno-Adriatico. In fact, he was expected to be at a higher level than he was 12 months ago but for some reason he suffered in his first races. He was off the pace in Oman and admitted that he had expected to be better in that race.

 

He arrived at the start of Tirreno with modest ambitions but turned out to be a lot stronger than expected. He was still not at his highest level but he made a late comeback in the queen stage to win the sprint for third from the small Contador group. He dropped out of the top 10 due to the time trials but on the climbs he again looked like the old Rodriguez.

 

The Katusha leader is likely to have taken another step up and this race suits him really well. There is no time trial and the explosive nature of the La Molina climb is made for him. If Valverde hadn’t been on the start line, he would have been the man to beat. However, now he has to beat Valverde in La Molina and that could be a difficult affair. In this kind of mostly flat sprint, the Movistar rider is usually a lot faster and unlike Rodriguez, he has the chance to pick up bonus seconds in the flatter stages too. Nonetheless, Rodriguez is a very explosive climber and on his days he is capable of beating Valverde in this kind of race.

 

Alberto Contador rarely enters a stage race without being one of the major favourites but this race doesn’t seem to be made for him. The queen stage is simply too easy for a pure climber like Contador. That was evident in last year’s race where he arrived at the start on the back of an excellent showing in Tirreno-Adratico. However, he was unable to get rid of Rodriguez on the climb to La Molina and instead he was distanced in the finale.

 

This year he doesn’t seem to be as good as he was 12 months ago. He was hugely disappointing in Tirreno and even though he bounced back with a solid final time trial, he was evidently not climbing at his best level. To distance the likes of Froome, Rodriguez and Valverde on the La Molina climb, he has to be close to 100% and that doesn’t seem to be the case. In a sprint, those three riders are all faster than the Tinkoff-Saxo leader and this makes things even more complicated. Contador is a very classy climber and you can never rule the multiple grand tour champion out. However, it will be hard for him to win this race.

 

Richie Porte arrives in Catalonia on the back of a dominant win in Paris-Nice where he was clearly the strongest rider. After an illness-plagued 2014, the Australian claims to be in the best condition of his life and he climbed at a very high level in the French race. This naturally makes him one of the favourites to win this race but he goes into the Volta a Catalunya in a different role.

 

In Spain, Porte will again do his lieutenant job for Froome and this could him back into the position of being the rider that prepares Froome’s searing attack. On this course, however, it may be a good idea for Sky to try a new tactic as the race doesn’t suit Froome very well. It may be a better option for them to use the fact that they have two potential winners of the race and this could open the door for Porte.

 

Sky have a formidable team of climbers for this race and they can use their strength to isolate their main rivals. In that case, it will be very hard for the likes of Rodriguez and Valverde to control the finale and that is when Porte could come into play. If Porte attacks, the Spaniards may all look at each other and Froome will do nothing to chase his teammate down. At the moment, Porte is one of the strongest riders and if he gets just the smallest gap, he will be very hard to catch.

 

Rigoberto Uran proved that he has taken another step up when he finished third in Tirreno-Adriatico. In the Italian race, he was far stronger than he was 12 months ago and that has provided him with lots of confidence for this race. Of course he would have preferred the inclusion of a time trial but in fact the course is not too bad for him.

 

In Italy, there were definitely stronger climbers than Uran who only made a late comeback with Rodriguez in the queen stage. In this race, however, the climbs are a lot easier and this will make it harder for the favourites to get rid of the Colombian. Furthermore, Uran is very fast in a sprint which he proved on two occasions in Tirreno. If he is still there at the finale of the queen stage, he will definitely be one of the favourites.

 

Last year Tejay van Garderen took an upset win in the queen stage when he capitalized from the war between the favourites to make a late attack. As none of the biggest names were unable to distance each other, van Garderen returned to the front group after having initially been distanced. Together with Romain Bardet, he attacked and as the favourites were more concerned with each other, this allowed the American to both win the stage and finish on the podium.

 

On paper, it is hard to imagine that the winner won’t be one of the five strongest climbers but a similar scenario could occur again, opening the door for a surprise win for an outsider. Among the next best climbers, Domenico Pozzovivo seems to be the strongest. Despite having had a week off the bike due to surgery, the Italian had benefited from an altitude training camp to get back into form for Tirreno-Adriatico where he seemed to be at the same level as Contador and Pinot.

 

Pozzovivo is clearly in great condition and this could pay off in this race. The absence of a time trial is clearly in his advantage. Of course he would have preferred a harder queen stage but the tiny Italian is actually pretty explosive. He has always done well in the Italian one-day races and so the La Molina climb should not be too bad for him. If he attacks in the finale, he may be the one to benefit from a tactical battle between the favourites.

 

Tejay van Garderen knows how to use that weapon and he would love to do so again. The American suffered in Paris-Nice but it seemed to be a case of difficult in the cold more than a case of bad legs. He looked very strong in the queen stage and was also at an excellent level in Oman so there is no reason to suggest that his form is not at a very high level. Van Garderen has the right aggressive mindset to exploit the tactical battle between the favourites and he will definitely try to repeat last year’s coup.

 

Another rider who knows how to do so is Fabio Aru. That’s how he won two stages in the Vuelta a Espana and despite his young age, he seems to have the ability to time his attacks perfectly. Aru made his debut in Paris-Nice and even though he was not at 100%, he was not far off the pace in the queen stage. Like van Garderen, he suffered in the cold but he was clearly already riding at a high level. Now he will have come back up to racing speed and a talented rider like the Astana captain doesn’t need much racing to improve a lot. We expect a much better performance from Aru in this race and with no time trial, the course suits him pretty well.

 

Johan Esteban Chaves proved his enormous potential in 2014 when he won big mountain stages in both the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse before he went on to shine in the first part of the Vuelta and finish on the podium in the Tour of Beijing. This year he has had slow start to the season but he actually rode strongly in Strade Bianche which didn’t suit him very well. Unfortunately, he fell ill before GP Nobili and this makes his condition a bit uncertain. However, he is set to make another big step up in 2015 and this race suits him down to the ground. If he has recovered from his illness, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him mix it up with the biggest favourites.

 

Like Aru and van Garderen, Romain Bardet had hoped for a better Paris-Nice. The Frenchman left the race hugely disappointed but he was not too far off the mark. He was not far from the best in the queen stage and like many others he suffered in the cold. He rode very strongly before the French race and he should still be in great condition. With no time trial, this race suits him a lot better and being in the same team as Pozzovivo, he has a number of cards to play in the queen stage.

 

Daniel Martin made a brave long-distance move to win this race two years ago. However, he is rarely at his best at this time of the year and has never been able to stay with the best in this race. He recently finished 25th in Tirreno-Adriatico which was his first stage race of the year and as usual he was quite far off the pace. However, this race is not too hard and so it may be more about skills than condition for Martin. Of course he won’t be able to go with the attacks from the best riders but due to tactics, a rather big group could arrive at the finish. Among the GC riders, Martin is one of the fastest in a sprint and this will make him a contender in that scenario.

 

The same goes for Samuel Sanchez whose condition is a bit uncertain. The Spaniard only signed a contract with BMC in late January and has only done two one-day races in the first part of the year. However, he was at a decent level in Strade Bianche and since then he will only have become stronger as he is building condition for his first big goal which is the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. At last year’s Vuelta, he proved that he can still ride at a very high level and with his experience, he knows how to surprise the favourites in the finale of the queen stage.

 

Rafael Valls has had a fantastic start to the 2015. The Spaniard has always had an enormous potential but different health issues have made him unable to show his talent. This year he has already won the Tour of Oman and in Paris-Nice he was again among the very best climbers. With no time trial, this race suits him a lot better and he will join forces with a strong Przemyslaw Niemiec to form a dangerous Lampre-Merida duo. Those two riders have cards to play and if he exploits the tactical battle between the favourites, he could take an even bigger stage race win than the one he took in Oman.

 

Niemiec will be the other Lampre-Merida card. The Pole had a disappointing 2014 season but salvaged it all with his big stage win in the Vuelta. This year he seems to be back at the level that allowed him to finish sixth in the 2013 Giro. He rode strongly in the Italian one-day races at the start of the year and he was among the best climbers in Tirreno-Adriatico where only the time trials prevented him from finishing in the top 10. With his experience, he knows how to handle the climb to La Molina and time his attack perfectly.

 

Katusha are always riding aggressively in the mountain stages and as usual, they have more than one card to play. The captain is of course Rodriguez but an in-form Giampaolo Caruso could also come into play. The Italian looked strong in Tirreno-Adriatico and his solid showing in his home race came on the back of a great 2014 season where he had clearly taken a step up. Katusha may have cards to play in a select group in the finale of the queen stage and if Caruso attacks, it may not be obvious who is going to chase him down.

 

UPDATE: Joaquim Rodriguez has fallen ill and is out of the race

 

***** Alejandro Valverde

**** Chris Froome, Joaquim Rodriguez

*** Alberto Contador, Richie Porte, Domenico Pozzovivo, Fabio Aru, Tejay van Garderen, Johan Esteban Chaves

** Romain Bardet, Daniel Martin, Samuel Sanchez, Rafael Valls, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Giampaolo Caruso

* Diego Rosa, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Rafal Majka, Andrew Talansky, Wilco Kelderman, Wout Poels, Davide Rebellin, Tanel Kangert, Sylwester Szmyd, Gianluca Brambilla, Peter Stetina, Tom Danielson, Sergio Pardilla, Eduardo Sepulveda, Winner Anacona, Warren Barguil, Darwin Atapuma, Dylan Teuns, Janier Acevedo, Haimar Zubeldia, Jerome Coppel, David Arroyo, Cyril Gautier, Joe Dombrowski, Miguel Angel Lopez, Jarlinson Pantano, Rodolfo Torres, Carter Jones, Daniel Navarro, Yoann Bagot