VeloViewer proved crucial after Catalan route change: ‘I should have done more research’
CyclingFriday, 27 March 2026 at 07:35
The stripped-back fourth stage of the Volta a Catalunya was impressively won on Thursday by Ethan Vernon and his NSN team. The Brit made perfect use of the late route change, as the climb to Vallter 2000 had to be removed because of strong wind gusts, turning what had been set up as a mountain finish into a day for the fast men.
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The organisers of the Spanish stage race said they had no alternative. “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 meant the stage was shortened by around 23 kilometres and finished more than 1,000 metres lower than originally planned. That automatically handed the quicker riders an extra opportunity compared with the better climbers in the Catalan race. Vernon took that opportunity with both hands.
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Vernon studied the new finish in detail
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The Brit’s win was not accidental, as became clear from his post-race comments. “We obviously wanted to win in the first three days already, but then suddenly we got another chance. This victory means a lot,” he said afterwards for NSN, the team based in Catalonia.
“And my first professional win also came here, in our team’s home region,” Vernon added. “So we wanted to control it for a sprint, and that was an advantage for us. We studied the finale well on VeloViewer and made our plan before the stage.”
“The plan was to hit the final roundabout first, because it was so close to the finish,” he explained. “In reality, you had to launch your sprint before that point, and that turned out to be true as well: no one was able to gain another position afterwards.”
Read on below the video!
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Pidcock active again and third at the line
Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) also enjoyed a strong day. He picked up a few bonus seconds during the stage and then finished third at the line, where he reflected afterwards with CyclingProNet. “To be honest, I should have done more research on VeloViewer... although third is good, because the guys ahead of me are faster than I am.”
“There was a pretty strong headwind on that wide road, but my team-mates kept me well positioned at the front,” the Brit continued. “And I basically followed those other guys, so that was fine. I felt better than on the other days, but those bonus seconds are not going to make the difference either.”
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Latest Comments
- Rider X, y and z? Could you update?yaNzKEWL21-03-2026
- Can anyone help me understand the thinking behind the two punishments? Are the commissaires saying you get thrown out of the race for a second inadvertent disposal of a bidon (even to the delight of fans) but that as long as you can afford it you can show off your phalangeal cuticles all day long on international TV? Aking for a friend.packfiller7112-03-2026
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
- Ah, the consequences of riding for Israel.Veganpotter11-12-2025
- Pidcock could follow everyone but Pogi while finishing 3rd. No second place rider this season😃Veganpotter16-11-2025
- Now the Palestinian protestors can stop their whining. Trump came to the rescue. So they can now STFU and go back to waving the rainbow flags.raufus15-10-2025
- Cracked the code lol. If it was that easy to 'crack the code' jonny Vegas would be charging up the Kwaremont giving Pog a dose of his medicine. Evenepoel can't match pog on a climb and neither can mvdp. Anything with a half difficult climb and Pog smashes the field. Even on flat(ish)parcours like Roubaix it came down to a mistake and crash by pog to definitively crown mvdp. MSR is the only one that Pog probably won't win.kevpt10-10-2025
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