Primoz Roglic leaves Juan Ayuso without the Volta a Catalunya

Primoz Roglic adds his second Volta a Catalunya to his impressive palmares in this type of races, not only for the Vueltas a España and the Giro d'Italia he has won, but also for being the undisputed king when it comes to one-week races. Roglic did not hold back on the final stage in Montjuic after the cut and new debacle of the queen stage of the race that was supposed to be decisive with the tough ascent of Pradell.

Volta a Catalunya 2025, marked by the cut of its queen stage, falls in favor of Primoz Roglic

4 Vueltas a España, 1 Giro d'Italia, 2 Itzulia titles, as many Critérium du Dauphiné, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour de Romandie, and Volta a Catalunya. Undoubtedly, one of the most prestigious palmares in stage races in current cycling, although many insist on criticizing the lack of a Tour de France which, at the age of 35 that the Slovenian has, seems difficult, especially considering the rivals he faces.

The Volta a Catalunya started with the usual stage along the Costa Brava on a rainy day, where Matthew Brennan left the Alpecin-Deceuninck riders surprised, with a Tibor del Grosso standing out in the descent towards Sant Feliu de Guíxols where the stage ended, and Kaden Groves unable to catch the British rider from Visma-Lease a Bike.

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The second stage ended in a mass sprint where Matthew Brennan retained the lead after finishing second behind Israel-PremierTech's Ethan Vernon.

An appetizer before the classic stage finish in La Molina, where, despite the tough route prepared by the organization in this 2025 edition of the Volta a Catalunya, the outcome was the same as always: a reduced uphill sprint where Juan Ayuso and Primoz Roglic proved to be the strongest, with the stage win and the lead going to UAE Team Emirates-XRG's rider by just a few centimeters.

We enjoyed another duel between both riders the following day on the way to Montserrat, but this time Roglic did not let himself be surprised by the Alicante rider and managed to make up for the previous day's stage, also taking the lead thanks to time bonuses.

In the 5th stage, which took place in Terres de l'Ebre towards Amposta, tensions arose between riders and the organization. The stage was expected to have strong winds, leading to a pre-race protest. However, the stage was eventually contested normally, providing a spectacular display of echelons, although it did not affect the general classification. Matthew Brennan won the stage, securing his second partial victory.

The stage in the Bergadà region was left to decide the Volta a Catalunya, but the night before, a warning of strong winds exceeding 100 km/h issued by AEMET led the organization to shorten the stage, leaving only the final part without the brutal ascent to Coll de Pradell. However, the intensity of the wind throughout the morning and some voices in the peloton advocating for the stage to be suspended led to an agreement between the organization and the riders to do two laps of a 30 km circuit, the first one neutralized to check for safety and the second in competition.

This option was chosen by the organization to provide a minimum spectacle for the large number of people who had traveled to this Catalan region to follow the stage firsthand. However, a group of riders broke the agreement and threatened to protest, so the final part of the first lap became competitive, resulting in a chaotic stage that once again tarnishes the image of cycling.

The Roglic of the big races is here!

A strong attack by the Slovenian who goes solo with 20 kilometers to go. #VoltaCatalunya104

LIVE | Teledeporte and https://t.co/idEmLDkRaH pic.twitter.com/Bvomg6NW8z

— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) March 30, 2025

Ultimately, with no general classification times at stake, the partial of this infamous stage went to Lidl-Trek's rider Quinn Simons.

Everything was left to be decided in the final stage in Barcelona with the traditional circuit of Montjuic, including 5 ascents to the Castell de Montjuic with its steep ramps. The stage was expected to see movements among the favorites, all closely ranked in the classification. However, no one expected the script that unfolded, with Primoz Roglic deciding not to hold back and, with 2 and a half laps to go, taking the lead on the ascent, setting a brutal pace to drop the group and riding solo.

Although the time gaps were minimal in the remaining laps, the Slovenian did not falter, displaying a powerful pedal stroke that leaves a good impression on the road to the Giro d'Italia and secures a resounding victory in this Volta a Catalunya, without the need for time bonuses or looking at the clock, as many had predicted.

General Classification Volta a Catalunya 2025

1. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) 24h46'21''
2. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +28''
3. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) +53''
4. Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) +54''
5. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) +1'00''
6. Laurens de Plus (INEOS-Grenadiers) +1'20''
7. Egan Bernal (INEOS-Grenadiers) +1'31''
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) +1'33''
9. Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1'46''
10. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) +1'59''