Paris-Nice, the first big French race of the year, gets the most headlines; Tirreno-Adriatico tries to fight for attention in the same week; and the Itzulia Basque Country boasts the relentless leg-sapping climbs that leaves the final result up in the air until the final kilometres. Although Jonas Vingegaard has been forced to pull out, killing the planned showdown between him and Primož Roglič, for me, there’s only the spring stage race that comes out on top in the battle of which is best: the Volta a Catalunya. Let me explain why.

While it’s true that every stage race attempts to encompass the best of a Grand Tour in a shorter time frame, with time trials, sprint stages, days for the rouleurs and breakaway riders, and GC-altering days all spread out between six (Itzulia and Tour de Romandie) and eight (Tour de Suisse) stages, Catalunya is the first of the Big-7 stage races to venture high into the proper mountains, with the peloton ascending to more than 2,000m in most of the past editions. For the first time in the season, altitude – often so decisive in the three Grand Tours – comes into play.

While Paris-Nice is characterised by gloomy weather as the riders eventually race to the sun over what feels like an eternity, and Tirreno-Adriatico so often single-handedly keeps drought at bay in central Italy with one week of torrential rain (and occasionally snow), Catalunya is typically sunnier, warmer and drier. And even though a soaked Spain has seen less sun than anywhere else in Europe this March, by the grace of the Catalan patron Sant Jordi, that all changes next week – blue sky bike racing is back.

This article was published on Cycling Weekly’s website in March 2025. You can read the full article here.