The Volta a Catalunya has been written for more than forty years with a P. With the last name of Rubèn Peris, his alma mater, president of the race organization. But the 103rd edition of the Catalan event, which departs this Monday from Sant Feliu de Guíxols, has even more reason. It is the Volta of Pogacar, the most spectacular cyclist in the peloton, capable of attacking and riding alone for 80 kilometers in a classic – he did it two weeks ago in the Strade Bianche. And it is also the Volta de Pradell, the fearsome port for cyclists and long awaited by fans and cyclists who know Berguedà, who have been asking for its inclusion for years. It will be climbed on Saturday, on the penultimate day, in what will be the third high finish in a seven-day test, which ends on Sunday in Barcelona.
It doesn't matter if he is a debutant, the Volta has awarded the number 1 to Tadej Pogacar (25 years old), the greatest exponent of cycling prodigies, the brightest star, the great world figure in a tough fight with Jonas Vingegaard. They compete for it every round and he is the one who discards and chooses those who delight with his participation. "I am happy. He shows that the course is attractive and that good runners want to come. They like it,” Peris tells La Vanguardia. The organization rubs its hands by having the leader of the UAE as the headliner because they know that he is capable of adding shine to any stage and, why not, winning in Vallter 2,000, Port Ainé and Queralt.
He will arrive stung after coming close to triumphing again in Milan-Sanremo, one of the two monuments he is missing. He was fifth in 2022, fourth in 2023 and third in 2024. In his record, in addition to the two Tours de France and three Lombardies, there is already one Paris-Nice and two Tirreno-Adriatico. Pogacar is looking for another big week that he doesn't have yet.
Two journalists from RTV Slovenija, the country's public television, have been accredited to closely follow the phenomenon. They are not new because last year they were already in Catalonia to cover the triumph of another compatriot, Primoz Roglic, in the 102nd edition. In 2024 he changes the Slovenian but remains the favorite.
Roglic's bet on preparing for the Giro d'Italia in the Volta turned out well as he ended up winning the pink jersey. So the leader of the UAE, who is also making his debut in the Corsa Rosa, did not think twice and signed up. Until yesterday at 2 p.m., the teams were not obliged to give the names of their seven cyclists. “In November his team told us about it,” reveals Peris. “Normally they tell us what idea they have, because stars' calendars are not improvised.”
And Pogacar complies and will be at the exit without holding anything back. “I don't know much about the route but what I have seen and what I have been told I like it a lot. I know that the race has a lot of mountains and I like that. "I come with the mentality of attacking and with the sole objective of winning the Volta," he confessed yesterday to Mundo Deportivo upon his arrival at the concentration hotel... by bicycle from Mataró, after landing in El Prat. Almost nothing because we must not forget that the Milan-Sanremo that ran on Saturday is neither more nor less than 288 kilometers.
These are Pogi's things, and if he needs to he can destroy the race and the peloton in Coll de Pradell, in the sixth stage. The unprecedented climb is crowned 60 minutes from the finish line.
“We had the Coll de Pradell in our sights for a long time,” admits Rubèn Peris to this newspaper. “This year the mayor of Berga and the Berguedà Regional Council contacted us because they were interested in having a stage ending in the Queralt Sanctuary. That's when we said to ourselves: 'This is ours,'" says the race director, who seems excited about the excitement raised.
The ascent to the top, to 1,736 meters, was paved in 2004. But always, when carried out in March, there has been a fear of snow and that inclement weather would force everything to be altered. That point of conservatism had prevailed until now. A week ago, the machines were cleaning and clearing the road. Runners will see snow on both sides of the road but the weather will also be good. “There will be no problem,” predicts Peris, who also anticipates that they are prepared “for any eventuality with a plan B and even a plan C.”
Pradell, cataloged as the Catalan Mortirolo, is the third in a profile of five ports on a 154 km journey. There are almost 15 meters of ascent with a maximum slope of 23%. Above all, the last five and a half stand out, very steep, with an average percentage of 11%, which include a very hard cement wall. “It is a beautiful stage. Almost without leaving Berga we climb almost 4,000 meters. They are very beautiful and tough climbs,” says Enric Mas (Movistar), one of the many climbers who, like Kuss and Uijtdebroeks (Visma), Bernal (Ineos), Simon Yates (Jayco), Vlasov (Bora), Landa (Soudal) or Lenny Martinez (Groupama) want a stage and fight for the general classification. “It is a stage that will enter the history of the Volta. The entire cycling world is waiting for it like May rain,” congratulates Peris, which is also written with a P, like Pogacar and Pradell.
