Top 10 climbs of La Volta a Catalunya 2022
La Volta a Catalunya 2022 promises great emotions in this new edition. Here are some of the excellent climbs.
From 21 to 27, Catalonia is the mecca of cycling. Some of the best cyclists of the UCI World Tour, with all the teams, will be competing to conquer one of the most veteran tours that exist today. Stages 3 and 4 will be particularly noteworthy, in which the ascents allow climbers to show their agility to win. Last year the overall victory went to British Adam Yates, while Esteban Chaves was the deserved winner of the mountain jersey. In this article, we take the opportunity to show you some of the climbs they will face, some achievable for all cyclists… and others that are perhaps best left to the pros.
Ascents in which the best climbers will be tested in the Volta a Catalunya 2022
- Santa Pellaia
- La Ganga
- Alt de Romanyà
- Collada de Toses
- Mont-Louis (Canaveilles)
- Coll de Boixols (Les Masies)
- Creu de Perves (Senterada)
- Coll de Comiols
- La Molina
- Boí-Taüll
One of the busiest climbs due to its location, just 19 km from the centre of Girona. Moreover, it is not a very demanding climb, perfect for training sessions. On the Cassà de la Selva slope there are just over 6 km with a positive slope of 208 m and an average of only 3%. The maximum slope is 5.8%, and at the top we find the charming church of Santa Pellaia, dating from the 11th century. One of its advantages is the fact that there is not usually too much road traffic. It will be the first ascent to be conquered by the cyclists participating in the Volta a Catalunya.
Like Santa Pellaia, it will form part of the first stage of La Volta a Catalunya 2022, and it also shares the fact that it is a fairly accessible climb. Another one of those ascents to stretch your legs, with the special charm of Les Gavarres on one side while on the other you can view the Mediterranean Sea. Stage of about 5 km with an average of 3.7%. It is also relatively close to the city of Girona, making it ideal for training. Curiously, it is not an ascent that has been climbed regularly in major cycling stages, but it was present in the first edition of the Campeonato de España de Larga Distancia de Triatlón.
Short ascent of what is the third climb in the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya 2022. An accessible third category climb, with just under 5 km from Calonge and with an average of over 5%. It is an ascent that connects with a range of routes given its location in Les Gavarres area and its proximity to the Costa Brava.
Collada de Toses will be present in the third stage of the Volta a Catalunya 2022, the first mountain of this edition. A climb that is on the way to the ski resort of La Molina. Its altimetry presents a gentle but long ascent, 18 km with an average of around 3.2% from the Vilar d’Urtx slope. The first section of the climb is somewhat harder than the rest, with some km averaging over 5%. Incidentally, this climb is also one of those present in the Buff 4 Cims cycling tour, which crosses the best natural landscapes of Berguedà every year.
Ascent that cyclists will have to conquer in the stage starting from Perpignan, and 13 km to this small French fortification. It does not present an easy average for the kilometers to climb, of 5.47%, reaching 1,500 m and a positive drop of more than 750 m. Demanding ascent with which they will start the first mountain stage.
6. Coll de Boixols (Les Masies)
Long and complex ascent that will be present as the first climb in the second and probably decisive mountain stage of the Volta a Catalunya 2022. A long ascent, in which we climb more than 15 km from Les Masies, with an average of around 5% . The first half of the climb is especially hard, with several km above 7%, after which there is a small stretch of false flat before resuming the ascent, exceeding double digits in the last section.
Another first category climb in the Volta a Catalunya is the ascent of the Creu de Perves by the Senterada slope. Over 13 km at 4.5%, in which there are many sections with quite a rough road, with some damage, and the last 4 km make the climb more demanding, and in addition, in the stage ending in Boí Taüll, even more demanding than its numbers seem to dictate.
Photo: Cherubino
The longest stage of the Volta a Catalunya will be 206 km, with the only climb present: the Coll de Comiols. This is a third category climb, with just over 10 km of positive gradient and an average of around 4.2%. From its summit, at more than 1,100 m, there is a very beautiful view of the Bassin de Tremp.
Fotografía: Pere López
9. La Molina (Alp-El Vilar d’Urtx)
The ski resort of La Molina will be the last stage of the first mountain stage of the Volta a Catalunya. Before that, the participants had to overcome the climbs of Mont-Louis and Collada de Toses. At 1,650 m, more than one will suffer, perhaps less because of the hardness of the ascent than because of the kilometers already accumulated. A total of just over 10 km ascent at 3.6%, with a particularly tough fifth kilometer at 8.7%.
Photo: JordiFerrer
In this edition, La Volta a Catalunya reinstates an ascent that takes us back to the scent of the 90s. More than 20 years have passed since the climb to Boí Taüll was last featured in the Catalan Grand Tour. Long climb, about 14 km, with the first half being the toughest of all. There are a few km with averages above 8%. After the sixth km there is a flat section where we can rest and face the last one. Road conditions that make the climb a bit more difficult.
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