First mountain stage of Volta a Catalunya loses its finale: severe storm on summit climb, stage 4 shortened

Conditions were already rough in Catalonia on Wednesday. The sun may have been out, but the wind was blowing hard in the south of Spain, helping create echelons in the finale of stage 3, where Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel almost made perfect use of the situation. But the wind is not expected to ease, and that has created problems for Thursday’s stage.

The fourth stage was finally supposed to bring a proper climbing test, with a summit finish at Vallter 2000. The riders had been due to finish above 2,000 metres after a day featuring around 4,000 metres of elevation gain, but the organisers have now ruled that out. In a press statement, they confirmed that “the Volta a Catalunya has altered the route of its 4th stage, which will finish in Camprodon.”

The reason is entirely understandable. Conditions at the finish are expected to be extreme on Thursday. According to the organisers, “due to the activation of a Level 3 VENCAT warning, with wind gusts of up to 90 km/h forecast at the summit of Vallter, the Volta a Catalunya has been forced to shorten the route of its 4th stage, scheduled for Thursday 26 March.”

In practical terms, that means the stage has been reduced by around 23 kilometres. The riders will now finish in Camprodon, more than 1,000 metres lower than the original summit finish. The start has also been pushed back by half an hour, with the riders now due to roll out at 13:05 local time. So there will be no first real showdown between the top climbers on Thursday after all.