Volta a Catalunya, 23-29 March 2026

[Samu Cuenca]

Yesterday we had a guy from Bedford winning, today we had a G2 made up of riders with the combined acceleration of an old Bedford van.

Fun fact:
That was the 9th Danish WT win so far this year.

Spoiler alert!

 

[houtdffan]

think Remco could have done that climb quite a bit faster

He had a LOT in the tank at the end

 

[TheKidsCallMeBoss]

Remco 2022

At least he secured the bag. The rest is the soft drink company's problem.

 

[RedheadDane]

Gall limited the losses somewhat?
Or was it mainly because Vingegaard slowed down across the line?

 

[Brullnux]

think Remco could have done that climb quite a bit faster

He had a LOT in the tank at the end

For sure. He showed a lot of generosity today, made sure Lipowitz feels good about himself and then hope that other teams underestimate him. But he knows his true level

 

[Red Rick]

Vingegaard winning by exactly the kind of gap you would expect here.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Gall limited the losses somewhat?
Or was it mainly because Vingegaard slowed down across the line?

A bit of both. I am not sure Vingegaard went all out since it wasn't required, but no matter what, the size of the gap was very much a consequence of how they rode behind him.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Congrats to Vingo on a good victory of the queen stage. The race is his to lose of course. The final climb looked undewhelming initially: no team wanted to drill, Jonas had only Kuss so they waited for their move. The winner's initial attack also didn't look that impressive but a few minutes of 7 w/kg was enough to smoke the rest and once he got rid of the tail it was easier for him in windy conditions. The gap of 50-60'' over his nearest competitors (Gall, Lipo, Lenny, Paret-Peintre) was more or less as expected. Remco initially matched Vingo but soon was cooked, maybe he felt the crash or maybe he attacked a few km too late (his stomp at the end).

 

[Ulle97]

6th for Remco on the stage. That's roughly where he is in the world of climbing.
A solid performance.
The gap to Vingegaard was fairly significant. He simply won't match the Dane in the serious climbs.

However, I think the stage tomorrow might suit Remco a bit better. Shorter climbs.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him win Sunday's stage alone. He blew the field apart with Roglic a couple of years ago on the same terrain.

 

[jotafap]

Remco initially matched Vingo but soon was cooked, maybe he felt the crash or maybe he attacked a few km too late (his stomp at the end).

No way he had much more in the tank, just had enough to sprint, not really a "stomp".

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I wouldn't be surprised to see him win Sunday's stage alone. He blew the field apart with Roglic a couple of years ago on the same terrain.

Maybe he will win alone but it also depends on Vingegaard, who's heavily underrated on climbs like Montjuic. I can see him wheelsuck Remco and beat him in the sprint.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Gallacticos > caffeinated gummybear juice team.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Maybe he will win alone but it also depends on Vingegaard, who's heavily underrated on this kind of climbs like Montjuic. I can see him wheelsuck Remco and let him win without Remco realising it.

FTFY

 

[Red Rick]

Pidcock seems to be DNF?

Probably makes Montjuic very winnable for Evenepoel

 

[Krzysztof_O]

The gap to Vingegaard was fairly significant. He simply won't match the Dane in the serious climbs.

There's some benefit of a doubt regarding his crash. If his real level is really like this then the Tour shouldn't be his main goal of the season at all (assuming fighting for the 3rd position isn't his peak ambition).

 

[Red Rick]

W2W has Vingegaard at 5.6 Wk/kg

I just saw Nibali fall to his knees on the parking lot

 

[Didinho]

It’s always impressive if someone rides everyone off his wheel just by pacing (hard). Insane ride once again and expected.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

W2W has Vingegaard at 5.6 Wk/kg

I just saw Nibali fall to his knees on the parking lot

Seriously? The first part of the climb was slow but the second looked much better (maybe strong headwind was underestimated in the calculations).

 

[cafe_rider]

Seriously? The first part of the climb was slow but the second looked much better (maybe strong headwind was underestimated in the calculations).

Serious wind, lots of it head or crosswind. Level not so high

 

[fenns]

Almeida plodded on OK I thought

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Almeida plodded on OK I thought

He certainly gave Piganzoli some intense interval training.

 

[Lequack]

Is the Tour already over? Who can even beat Vingegaard in this form?

 

[Rule #9 apostle]

It’s always impressive if someone rides everyone off his wheel just by pacing (hard). Insane ride once again and expected.

Easy to take it for granted, but JV's been orders of magnitudes above anyone not named focaccia for half a decade

 

[Extinction]

Is the Tour already over? Who can even beat Vingegaard in this form?

Pogacar

 

[Red Rick]

Serious wind, lots of it head or crosswind. Level not so high

Can't say anything about level, only that conditions were atrocious for fast climbing times.

And now it's showing 6.2 W/kg, which is like a painfully 2022 time.