Primoz Roglic secured an impressive solo victory in the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya, sealing his overall win in the general classification for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
The Slovenian rider’s dominance was evident as he crossed the finish line 14 seconds ahead of Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), who completed the podium. Roglic’s performance also earned him the top spot in the points and mountain classifications, cementing his commanding position throughout the race.
Roglic’s victory came at the expense of his rival, Juan Ayuso, who entered the final stage as the leader but struggled during the decisive moments. As a result, Roglic finished the race 28 seconds ahead of Ayuso, with Movistar’s Enric Mas trailing in third place, 53 seconds behind the Slovenian in the general classification.
The Final Stage Drama
Ayuso held a narrow one-second lead over Roglic heading into the final stage, with a comfortable advantage over the other contenders. However, Roglic quickly asserted his dominance, claiming the first intermediate bonus sprint and taking the virtual lead in the general classification. Ayuso finished third in the sprint, losing valuable seconds to the Red Bull rider.
With 47 kilometers remaining, Roglic found himself in a poor position as the peloton neared the next sprint. His teammate Nico Denz took the lead in the sprint, securing three bonus seconds ahead of Ayuso, who struggled to respond.
The race began to fragment as the riders entered the challenging Montjuic climb, a key feature of the stage. Several riders, including Tom Donnenwirth (Groupama–FDJ) and Jokin Murguialday (Euskaltel–Euskadi), attempted to break away, but both were quickly reeled in by the peloton.
At the 21-kilometer mark, Roglic made his decisive solo attack on the Montjuic, opening up a small gap before descending rapidly. Ayuso, De Plus, and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) began to chase, but by the 17-kilometer point, Roglic had extended his lead to 20 seconds.
With 13 kilometers to go, the chase group was caught by the peloton, and Ayuso was absorbed into the pack, unable to mount a response. Movistar’s Enric Mas, along with Mikel Landa (Soudal–Quick-Step), Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers), and Van Eetvelt, attempted to close the gap but found themselves 18 seconds behind the race leader.
As the final lap approached, Roglic maintained his lead, staying 18 seconds clear of Mas and the chasers. Despite some late attacks from Van Eetvelt and De Plus, Roglic’s control of the race remained unshaken. He navigated the final bends with precision and finished the stage 14 seconds ahead of the chasers and 19 seconds in front of the peloton.
Roglic’s relentless attack, which began with three laps to go, proved to be the turning point of the stage and secured both his stage victory and overall win in the general classification, with Ayuso left to rue missed opportunities in the final moments of the race.
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