2022 Volta a Catalunya – Stage 3 Preview

By @EchelonsHub

BikeExchange have made it two for two as Kaden Groves conquered the second stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The day was marked by crashes, several of which affected GC contenders, and the abandon of Richie Porte. Crashes caused splits, and crosswinds kept the splits present. There was nevertheless a bunch sprint at the end, as today Matthews lead-out Kaden Groves who took the win with a very slim margin over Phil Bauhaus, with Hugo Hofstetter finishing third. Jonas Iversby, after being the in breakaway twice, is the new leader of the race as he racked up enough bonus seconds from intermediate sprints. 

Positive: The best news, which I can now confirm, is the improvement of Sonny Colbrelli’s health. Above all else, that is the biggest win the cycling world has had in the last 24 hours. Iversby and Groves both had incredible achievements for their career today when it came to the stage. 

Negative: Haig’s DNS, Porte’s DNF, Simon Yates who lost 33 seconds after crashing towards the end. Alongside him finished the likes of Hugh Carthy, Carlos Rodríguez, Jai Hindley and Attila Valter who lost important time. 

The Route 

The race will re-enter Spain on the third day. The start will be at sea level in Perpignan, and will finish at almost 1700 meters of altitude in La Molina in what should be the first day where differences will be made between the favourites.

160 kilometers in the day with just over 3300 meters of climbing. The riders will go up to Mont-Louis which summits with 83 kilometers to go. It’s not a complicated ascent, however there will be only a small descent from it, before the riders go through the border and into Puigcerdà. The peloton will go through La Molina for the first time after ascending the long Collada de Toses (20.2Km at 3.1%), then descent straight into the bottom of the final ascent.

Being ridden through it’s classical vertient via Alp. The main body of the climb is 8 kilometers long at 6.4% average gradient. Not a significantly hard climb, whatever happens depends largely on the pace in which the race is taken. Usually the attacks come in that section, before a small descent section that leads the riders into the final ramp. In the final 1.5 kilometers the roads tilt up again, but what matters at this point is the legs that they take into the final sprint which takes place in a rough ramp of over 10%. 

The Weather

The wind will no longer be threatening, but it will give way to the cold. Everyday there is a new challenge with the weather, in La Molina and the other climbs, the temperatures will be in the lower single digits, not a pleasant day on the bike. 

Breakaway chances: 10% 

A flat start, harsh weather condition, lots of climbing and a crucial stage for the GC with some rough climbs. This isn’t a day for the breakaway, it would require a big and very special group. 

The Favourites 

Simon Yates – His time loss today was not good for his GC ambitions. Yates came in as one of the big favourites after his performance at Paris-Nice, and he will be on the backfoot and having to make up time on his rivals. However, if he shows the same legs he had in France, he very well may… 

Nairo Quintana – He’s had a strong start to the season, and here in Catalunya he finds another race that suits him. Quintana is a pure climber, perhaps not the best day for him as it doesn’t feature any brutal pass, but he’s got the form and the motivation. 

Alejandro Valverde – A past winner here, Valverde is a regular in Catalunya’s summit finishes and this one suits him quite well as it’s not rare for it to come down to a sprint in the final ramps. Will the cold get to him? If not, he, Ivan Sosa and Carlos Verona can cook up a profitable race for the Spanish team. 

INEOS – They have had a bad start to the race. Without Porte, without Plapp as a GC contender, with Carapaz having crashed on the opening day and with Rodríguez loosing 33 seconds today, the team’s numerical advantage as pretty much gone down the drain. Carapaz and Sivakov are still very much threats if they find themselves on a good day, Carlos Rodriguez may still play a crucial role in the GC if he flies up these mountains.  

UAE – Marc Soler crashed today, however he managed to finish the stage in the front group. With Soler and Almeida, UAE have serious weapons to put in damage, as the ascent suits both of them well. 

BORA – Jai Hindley has lost time today, however at the recent Tirreno-Adriatico he’s shown great form. He can be a weapon, but Sergio Higuita is the real contender here, an explosive climber which should very much enjoy what this stage has on offer. 

Furthermore, the list of favourites will be well distributed. This Is the stage where order will be settled, but until the riders get in the mountains they will be going a little bit into the unknown as they’ll test their legs against new competition.  

Michael Woods, Giulio Ciccone/Mattias Skjelmose, Wout Poels, Tobias Johannessen, Guillaume Martin and Ben O’Connor are all consolidated stage-racers who will be leading their respective teams in this stage, and will be looking for a high position in the general classification afterwards aswell. 

Esteban Chaves and Hugh Carthy for EF, Ilan van Wilder and Fausto Masnada for Quick-Step, Attila Valter and Michael Storer for Groupama may also be wildcards to take into consideration and can use their numbers. Anthon Charmig, Harm Vanhoucke, Jan Hirt, Santiago Buitrago are all riders that wouldn’t ordinarily finish amongst the best in a World Tour race, but all of them have very convincing performances in the near past that will have them as wildcards. 

Inside The Bus 

This morning I talk to… 

#165 Matthew Holmes – Let’s see. A breakaway won’t succeed here, but if you feel good you can go for a breakaway, get some experience and exposure maybe some KOM points. If you stay in the pack keep an eye on Harm and protect him, he has the chance to do a good overall classification. 

#26 David Dekker – Not the day for you David. Form doesn’t seem to be there, you’ll suffer a bit for sure but make sure you protect the guys at least in the flat roads early in the day, to give as much support before the real climbing starts. 

#66 Jaako Hanninen – You’re a good climber Jaako, and the cold will feel as natural as everything to you so I expect a strong performance! Ben also enjoys the bad weather, you two can do quite good today, he’s the leader so stay with him for as long as possible to support, when you’re dropped let the gap go, you can go for a breakaway later in the week. 

Prediction Time 

⭐⭐⭐Yates, Higuita,  

⭐⭐Quintana, Valverde, Sivakov, Woods 

⭐Carapaz, C.Rodriguez, Hindley, Ciccone, Skjelmose, Poels, Johannessen, G.Martin, O’Connor, Carthy, Masnada

I think such an explosive finale will suit Sergio Higuita very well. He’s ridden very well in this start of the season and I think he’s got the form for it. 

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