Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, March 23, 2026

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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia

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Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.

Current racing:

March 23 - 29: Volta a Catalunya

Upcoming racing:

• March 25: Ronde Van Brugge - Tour of Bruges
• March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
• March 27: E3 Saxo Classic
• March 28: Classic Loire Atlantique
• March 29: Gent-Wevelgem
• March 29: La Roue Tourangelle
• March 31: Paris-Camembert
• April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen
• April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
• April 4: GP Miguel Indurain

Latest completed racing:

• March 21: Milano-Sanremo
• March 20: Bredene Koksijde Classic
• March 19: GP de Denain
• March 18: Danilith Nokere Koerse
• March 18: Milano-Torino
• March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
• March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
• March 7: Strade Bianche
• March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia
• March 3: Le Samyn Classic

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Teams preview upcoming Volta a Catalunya

Here's the update from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

The WorldTour peloton heads to Spain for the Volta a Catalunya. Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s lineup is led by Jonas Vingegaard. The 29-year-old Dane is eager to carry his strong form from Paris–Nice into the coming week. We look ahead with our team leader.

From March 23 through 29, the 105th edition of the Volta a Catalunya will take place. The seven-day stage race begins Monday with a 172-kilometer stage, starting and finishing in Sant Feliu de Guíxols. On the eve of the opening stage, Vingegaard looks ahead to his first participation in Catalonia. 

Jonas Vingegaard in the GC leader's red jersey after stage 20 of the 2025 Vuelta a España. Sirotti nphoto

“I’m very satisfied with how I’m feeling on the bike right now,” the Dane starts. “My form is good, and compared to the same period last season, I’m in a better place now. Paris–Nice was my first race of the year, and it was promising. I hope to maintain that feeling over the next seven days.” 

“There’s a strong field at the start this week, so I expect a tough race full of challenges,” Vingegaard continues. “Many teams, including ours, have strong lineups. I’ll have to keep an eye on several riders in the fight for the overall victory, and I’m looking forward to the battle. I always start with the goal of winning, and that’s the case again this week.” 

For Vingegaard, the Volta a Catalunya is one of the final steps in his preparation for the Giro d’Italia. “After Catalonia, there are still five weeks until the start of the Giro. After this, I’ll have a short rest period, followed by another altitude training camp to head to Italy in the best possible shape. But first, all the focus is on the coming week.” 

Here's the Catalonia Tour preview from Lenny Martinez's Team Bahrain Victorious:

Bahrain Victorious continues its stage racing block at Volta a Catalunya, a seven-day WorldTour race where the general classification is often decided in the final days. The 2026 edition will cover just over 1,000 kilometers, with more than 20,000 meters of climbing across the week.

The opening stages are not expected to be decisive, but they can still be tricky, so positioning and attention will be important from the start. The race then moves into the mountains, with three consecutive summit finishes expected to shape the overall standings. The final stage in Barcelona, on the Montjuïc circuit, usually remains open and can still change the classification until the end.

Bahrain Victorious lines up with co-leaders Santiago Buitrago and Lenny Martinez, both arriving in good condition and targeting the general classification.

Support in the mountains will come from Afonso Eulálio and Jakob Omrzel, who will make his WorldTour debut. In the earlier stages, Matevž Govekar, Nikias Arndt and Rainer Kepplinger will focus on protecting the leaders and keeping the team well positioned.

Lenny Martinez after stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France. Sirotti photo

Sports Director Xavier Florencio said:
“Volta a Catalunya is an important race in the calendar and this year the route is very demanding. The first three stages may not look too difficult on paper, but it will be important to stay attentive and not lose time with our leaders.

"From Stage 4 onwards, we have three mountain stages that will be decisive for the general classification. Then on the final day in Montjuïc, as always, the race can still change with the circuit and the steep climb there.

"We come with a strong team. Lenny has shown good condition recently, and both he and Santi arrive in good form. The goal is to support them as best as possible in the GC fight. If the opportunity comes, we will also try to go for a stage win.”

Lenny Martinez added:
“I really like Volta a Catalunya. It’s close to Andorra, so it always feels a bit special for me. I will share the leadership with Santi, which is nice, and I think we can do a really good race together. He has been very strong since the start of the season and we also have a strong team here.

"I feel motivated coming into the race. The goal is to do a good general classification, like in Paris–Nice, and also to go for a stage win, which is an important objective for me.”

Here's the Catalonia Tour news from Team Jayco AlUla:

Ben O’Connor and Paul Double will headline Team Jayco AlUla at the forthcoming Volta a Catalunya, which takes place between 23 and 29 March.

The weeklong Spanish stage race will mark the beginning of O’Connor’s build towards the Giro d’Italia later in the spring, where he will be targeting an overall podium. The Australian, who will be the team’s main leader, has been working hard at altitude over the last month after last racing in February at the UAE Tour.

Paul Double will also be afforded his own opportunity in the general classification alongside O’Connor. The 29-year-old closed out the 2025 season in style with the overall win at the Tour of Guangxi and has enjoyed a solid start to this year after taking fifth overall at the Tour of Oman.

Providing support for O’Connor and Double in the mountains will be climbers Rudy Porter and Koen Bouwman. German puncheur Felix Engelhardt will also play a key role on the rolling terrain and could be given his own chances on the punchy terrain if the opportunity arises.

2022 Volta a Catalunya: Ben O'Connor wins stage 3. Sirotti photo

Rounding out the squad will be the very experienced Chris Juul-Jensen and Patrick Gamper, who will form the engine room of the team over the flatter parts of the route.

Team Jayco AlUla for Volta a Catalunya
Koen Bouwman (NED)
Paul Double (GBR)
Felix Engelhardt (GER)
Patrick Gamper (AUT)
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN)
Ben O’Connor (AUS)
Rudy Porter (AUS)

Ben O’Connor
“Catalunya is probably the stage race that I’ve done the most in my career. I always love it, I always enjoy it and I’ve done well here in the past. In the end, I want to be climbing with the best boys on these big climbs here in the Catalan Pyrenees. They’re long climbs and they suit my dynamic. I always enjoy it and, to cap it off, finishing in Barcelona is a great and fun circuit. It’s not exactly the same course that we’ll do at the Tour de France but it’s close enough. It’s a great way to end the race in a city with a short, punchy circuit. Excited for it and preparation has been good. I’ve been up in Tenerife for a little while since the UAE Tour so hopefully it all pays off. In the end, my goal is to be climbing with the best guys and let’s see where we end up.”

Neil Stephens – Sport Director
“At the Volta a Catalunya, we have three relatively flat stages followed by three mountain stages, two of which are hilltop stages, plus the hilly final stage in Barcelona, which is always raced full gas. The race builds up as we go right until the intense final stage. We’ve got a strong line-up and team leader will be Ben O’Connor. He started the year with some hard racing in Australia and the UAE, but he’s had a bit of a break and some time at altitude so now he’s looking forward to starting his Giro campaign here. We’re not sure how he’ll compare against the other climbers at this point but he’s looking forward to getting some good climbing in the legs.

"Paul Double will be something of a co-leader. He showed his climbing skills when he won the Tour of Guangxi last year but he’s still yet to be proven in the longer Pyrenean climbs that we’ll see in Catalunya. We will support him in taking that progression and he’s looking forward to taking on that test, too. We will try to be present in most of the stages and hopefully we can finish the week on a high in Barcelona.”

And here's the Tour of Catalonia news from João Almeida's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Ahead of the 105th Volta a Catalunya, UAE Team Emirates-XRG is pleased to announce its lineup, led by the returning João Almeida.

Forced to skip the recent Paris-Nice due to a small illness, a healthy Almeida will be back to lead the line for the Emirati squad at the race where he finished third in both 2022 and 2023. For Almeida and company, three summit finishes await at this year’s race, offering plenty of opportunities to impress.

The Volta a Catalunya will also mark a special comeback for Almeida’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate, Filippo Baroncini. The seven-day stage race will be the Italian’s first competitive outing in 230 days, marking an end to his extensive period of rehabilitation from injuries suffered at last year’s Tour de Pologne.

There, the 25-year-old experienced a high-speed crash which left him with numerous facial injuries, a fractured collarbone and a fractured vertebrae. The Emirati squad quickly rallied around the fallen Italian, with Baroncini penning a two-year contract extension with the team, and his progress since the crash has been remarkable.

First returning to the bike in advance of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG October camp in Abu Dhabi, Baroncini has been tireless in his quest to return to the peloton, and will be welcomed back with the well wishes of the whole team on Monday morning. The Italian is fit and firing to impress, as he has so often done in the past.

Joao Almeida having a good day at the 2025 Tour of Switzerland's stage 4. Sirotti photo

In a similar vein, Jay Vine will be on the start line for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, ready to make his European debut for 2026. The Australian began his season in exceptional condition at the Santos Tour Down Under, winning both a stage and the overall title (for the second time), but ended the race with injuries suffered from a collision with a kangaroo.

Undergoing his rehab period at his home in Andorra, the 30-year-old has enjoyed his training kilometres in all manner of conditions. A week in the Catalonian sun will present a great opportunity to get back to racing for the Emirati squad.

In the Volta a Catalunya, Almeida, Baroncini and Vine will be joined by Brandon McNulty, Ivo Oliveira, Adrià Pericas, and Marc Soler, with Sports Directors Tomas Gil and Fabrizio Guidi in charge from the team car.

It is a race that the team knows how to win, with Tadej Pogačar storming to an impressive victory in 2024, before Juan Ayuso took the runner-up spot for the team last season. Stage wins have come from Pogačar, Ayuso and Almeida in the last four years.

 

Tadej Pogacar wins stage six of the 2024 Volta a Catalunya.

This time out, there are three mountaintop finishes in the Volta a Catalunya, bringing the race to a total of 20,553m of elevation gain across its seven stages.

Those three summit finishes come on back-to-back-to-back days with around 4,000m of climbing, all of which precede the usual Alt de Montjuïc circuit race on the final stage in Barcelona.

Stage 1 begins and ends in Sant Feliu de Guíxols for the sixth year in a row. Despite a couple of climbs along the route, the pan-flat finale should suit a bunch sprint. The same can be said for stage 2 between Figueres and Banyoles, before a rolling stage from Mont Roig del Camp to Vila Seca looks suited to the more versatile sprinters on day three.

Stages 4, 5 and 6 are the toughest of the race, with three successive summit finishes in order. First up, the riders will travel from Mataró to Vallter for a finish at 2,110m of altitude. If that weren’t hard enough already, the final climb of stage 4 itself stretches out for 11.4km at 7.6%.

Stage 5 has the most elevation gain of the race, packing in a whopping 4,522m of climbing across its 155.6km. Five classified climbs precede another finish at altitude at La Molina. To end the succession of stages in the mountains, the sixth day of racing concludes with two category 1 climbs and a repeat of the stage between Berga and Queralt, last won by UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Tadej Pogačar.

The last day of the race runs along the traditional circuit in Barcelona, with no less than seven ascents of the Alt del Castell de Montjuïc to tackle. All in all, this year’s Volta a Catalunya looks to be the toughest edition in many years, promising a thrilling week of action.