Volta a Catalunya, 23-29 March 2026

[Boehmand]

Redbull secured a good podium spot and can go all in tomorrow. Same tactic, isolate Vingo and try to get Remco solo. Or in the sprint, I think Lipo will ride for that in the last km’s. He wants the stage win.

Lipo can't play dom tomorrow, he's only got 8 seconds to 2nd place on the podium.

It would be crazy if RB did not go for that.

 

[topcat]

Remco rides for Lipo today. Lipo rides for Remco tomorrow. They can secure 2nd and 3rd.

 

[Extinction]

So Vingo wins again...surprise! Despite a hard stage the gaps were surprisingly small behind him, not a display of dominance this time.
Great performance by Evenepoel: not his dream role but he helped Lipo gap Gall and get a top3 spot tremendously. Maybe only Vingo was stronger than him today or maybe not.

I think Vingo was stronger, however, he said he came to limit his losses to the Dane. It's an improvement. Plus Remco is preparing for Liege. Vingo the Giro.

 

[RobertCrawley]

They don't have the budget for it.

The big 4-5 teams will gobble up the major talents, so the plight for teams like EF is the instable talents and the lesser ones.

I think their best hope is to find, sign, and develop a great talent. Yeah, it's not easy.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Beautiful mountainous areas here. Adds a couple of points to the drama.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Think Vingegaard was clearly not feeling good.

Also I'll remind people once again that Pogacar got dropped in Catalunya 2024.

Vingegaard already said yesterday he actually didn't feel good at the start of the stage. He's clearly subpar here but doesn't really matter. Whatever he does here will have no relevance for the Tour anyway.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Beautiful mountainous areas here. Adds a couple of points to the drama.

Indeed. Also great old cities and towns. I wish we had driven to Andorra when we were in that area.

 

[Boehmand]

Remco rides for Lipo today. Lipo rides for Remco tomorrow. They can secure 2nd and 3rd.

He's 47 seconds away from the podium, so that's not gonna happen - sorry

Especially because Lipo is sandwiched between Martinez and PP with 8 seconds up and 13 seconds down.

 

[Didinho]

Lipo can't play dom tomorrow, he's only got 8 seconds to 2nd place on the podium.

It would be crazy if RB did not go for that.

I don’t think 2nd or 3rd is a big difference for Lipo. He probably want to repay Remco for a stage win and Lenny would chase after him. Lipo can gain some time himself in the end if all works out. A stage win to close the Volta would be good for the team.

 

[theyoungest]

Think Vingegaard was clearly not feeling good.

Also I'll remind people once again that Pogacar got dropped in Catalunya 2024.

To me it looks like he's riding within his limits. This was a very "controlled" win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

BORA would be better off with a stage win than finishing second rather than third, but perhaps they can achieve both.

 

[KZD]

Another win for Vingegaard but a better showing from his rivals today.

Gall really needs to improve his descending.

Strong domestique performances from Eulálio, Nordhagen and Remco.

 

[theyoungest]

They don't have the budget for it.

The big 4-5 teams will gobble up the major talents, so the plight for teams like EF is the instable talents and the lesser ones.

They got Carapaz after he won the Giro. Won't have been cheap.

 

[Boehmand]

I think their best hope is to find, sign, and develop a great talent. Yeah, it's not easy.

I agree

But cycling's gotten global in recent years, the "hidden talents" are far less "hidden" these days.

It's why you see a lot of smaller teams look outside the sport for options - swifties, other endurance sports, etc.

The big teams are all over junior cycling - but are more risk-averse as they have the budget to fill every roster spot with top quality.

So the smaller teams look outside road cycling for their "next" riders, in the hope that they can dig out a diamond.

 

[RobertCrawley]

The things cyclists have to do. (Putting on the mask)

 

[Boehmand]

They got Carapaz after he won the Giro. Won't have been cheap.

Yeah, but if the big budget teams wanted him - as a captain - they would have gotten him.

The reason he is on EF is probably because he does not want to be a luxury dom on UAE or RB, despite being able to earn far more money doing that.

 

[AlfaLum]

Well lets hope that Seixas and Del Toro have improved enough to challenge Vingegaard a bit for second in the Tour.

Because the gap between him and the other contenders here is way to big to expect any excitement for second place in the Tour if it has to come from the competitors in Catalunya.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Has it been 4 years since the death of Richard Moore? What a voice for cycling.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Well lets hope that Seixas and Del Toro have improved enough to challenge Vingegaard a bit for second in the Tour.

Because the gap between him and the other contenders here is way to big to expect any excitement for second place in the Tour if it has to come from the competitors in Catalunya.

Today won't determine the tour, but in all likelyhood both Vingegaard and Pogacar will be too much for the rest of field in the Tour.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Carapaz the same in this as he was last year and ended up as the best climber in the Giro. It’s the same every year, dont write him off.

 

[Boehmand]

I don’t think 2nd or 3rd is a big difference for Lipo. He probably want to repay Remco for a stage win and Lenny would chase after him. Lipo can gain some time himself in the end if all works out. A stage win to close the Volta would be good for the team.

It's a WT stage race, I think getting 2nd is more important that a deeply unrealistic attempt to let Evenepoel gain 56 seconds on Martinez - while ALSO getting Lipo to gain 9 seconds on Martinez, on a puncheur stage.

 

[Potomac]

EF needs to find to find/develop/pay for a new GC contender.

They have two GC podiums in WT races this spring.
Not exactly setting the world on fire, but considering they aren't a super team...

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, but if the big budget teams wanted him - as a captain - they would have gotten him.

The reason he is on EF is probably because he does not want to be a luxury dom on UAE or RB, despite being able to earn far more money doing that.

In the year they signed him he finished runner-up in the Giro. I'm sorry, but if he took a pay cut to go to EF, that would have been stupid. I think they just offered a competitive salary.

 

[Boehmand]

Vingegaard in his exit intervbiew with Danish TV2 joking that he appreciates RB riding lead out for him this year

 

[RobertCrawley]

Carapaz the same in this as he was last year and ended up as the best climber in the Giro. It’s the same every year, dont write him off.

We need a viable and winning team from the US to keep interest going. Maybe Hincapie has the secret sauce.