Favorites stage 7 Volta a Catalunya 2026 | Evenepoel makes his intentions clear in Barcelona

By now, the traditional Barcelona finale is a familiar one in the Volta a Catalunya. There are few climbs in the region as famous as the Alt del Castell de Montjuïc. Where this used to be a stage over a more standard distance, the organisers have in recent years turned it into something of a criterium-style showdown.

The key difficulty is Montjuïc itself: a climb of 2.5 kilometres at just under six percent, but with ramps that kick up to as much as nineteen percent. Every lap also includes another rising section of around 700 metres at six percent, while the rest of the circuit trends mainly downhill before the riders plunge back toward the foot of Montjuïc.

Primoz Roglic won this stage, last year, and that gives Sunday’s edition a little extra cachet. Especially with a view to the Tour de France, it could be an interesting test, as Montjuïc will also feature prominently in the finale of stage 2 in July.

Times
Start: 11:50 AM local time
Finish: approx. 2 PM local time

We saw in the 2023 Vuelta that the roads in Barcelona can become treacherous when wet. On Sunday, however, conditions in the city look good, and the riders appear set to battle for the stage win under sunshine and in pleasant temperatures.

One man has clearly set his sights on this stage, and that is Remco Evenepoel: “The stage into Barcelona should suit me. The general classification is more or less settled, so I think there should be room to try something,” said the motivated Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider, who can still chase a podium place.

Jonas Vingegaard of Visma | Lease a Bike sees it a little differently. “It’s not the stage that suits me best, so above all I want to keep the lead. We’ll focus on the general classification, and it would be nice to win another stage, but that’s not the main priority.”

Beyond those two, riders such as Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers) are usually sharp on short climbs like Montjuïc. Given the gaps we now have in the overall standings, we are also giving the breakaway more than a realistic shot at success.

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Dorian Godon (INEOS Grenadiers), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), Koen Bouwman (Jayco AlUla), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Magnus Cort (Uno-X) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) have all already shown attacking intent this week.

Top favorite: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Long shots: Dorian Godon, Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), Koen Bouwman (Jayco AlUla), Marc Soler (UAE Emirates-XRG), Magnus Cort (Uno-X) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)