Juan Ayuso strikes a blow in La Molina

March 26 ^th 2025 - 18:49 [GMT + 1]

 Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) is the new leader of the 104th edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya after his victory in the 3rd stage, the longest in the last two decades with 218.6 kilometres between Viladecans The Style Outlets and La Molina. The young Valencian rider has shown his state of grace and has been able to overcome in a photo-finish the former winner of the Vuelta Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), great candidate for the final victory, and to place himself as leader of the Catalan race before living a second consecutive high-altitude finish in Montserrat.

163 riders took the start of the 3rd stage of the Volta a Catalunya on Wednesday 26th March, which was already anticipated to be the first big test among the candidates for the final victory. The longest stage of the Catalan race since 2006 has accumulated 5,000 metres of positive vertical drop with four mountain passes: the Coll d'Estenalles (2nd category), the Coll de la Batallola (3rd category), the Coll de la Creueta (special category) and the final finish of this edition.

After a very fast start with a strong battle for the breakaway for about thirty kilometres, before the climb to the first pass of the day a breakaway was consolidated with Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Mats Wenzel (Team Kern Pharma), who the peloton allowed to extend his advantage quickly.

UAE Team Emirates, the team of Juan Ayuso, who started the stage already in 5th place overall thanks to the bonuses, took the responsibility of controlling the breakaway. In it, the Frenchman Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale) stood out, who left behind his fellow adventurers on the climb to the endless Coll de la Creueta and led the race alone until the start of the final climb in La Molina, just 9 kilometres from the finish line.

The final climb at the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya station, where many of the overall winners of the Volta a Catalunya in the last decade have won, began with attacks from the favourites, with Sepp Kuss (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), and especially Marc Soler (5), who held on until almost the last kilometre. However, nothing prevented the victory from being decided in an explosive finish between the big favorites in the Volta, in which Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) had to throw the bike to the finish line to play for a victory that finally went to the young Valencian cyclist, unstoppable this season as the recent winner of Tirreno-Adriatico.

Thanks to the victory, Ayuso is the new leader of the Volta a Catalunya, 6 seconds ahead of Roglic himself and 11 seconds ahead of Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step) in the run-up to a new high altitude finish. It will be in a 4th stage that this Thursday 27 March will cross the Central Catalonia with a 188.7 kilometers route between Sant Vicenç de Castellet and Montserrat, which will once again host a finish of the Volta 30 years later, on the occasion of the celebration of its Millenary.