The 2026 Volta a Catalunya begins Monday and runs through a week of sharp climbs, rolling terrain, and three decisive summit finishes. Good news for Canadian fans, as Ogoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West will be lining up.
The national road champ will be there, racing against some of the sport’s biggest names in one of the season’s first major stage-race battles. So far we’ve had Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice and seen some great stuff.
Lots of climbing
The national champ will likely hinge on the high mountains, where his steady pacing and growing Grand Tour experience can be put to the test.
Stages featuring Vallter 2000, Coll de Pal, and the rugged final weekend in the Montjuïc circuit are expected to shape the GC.
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The race also features some big names, including Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel.
Evenepoel almost didn’t make it to Spain–the dude was stuck training on the Canary Islands and a massive snowstorm threatened his chances of making a flight out. There were rumours that Red Bull may send a chopper to get him to Barcelona.
“We’re stuck up on Teide for the 2nd day because of the snow. No one can go up or down,” his wife Oumi posted on Instagram. “We’re supposed to fly to Barcelona tomorrow. But not sure we’ll make it. Does anyone know how we can get to the airport.”
Gee-West and the Volta a Catalunya
As for Gee-West, the Lidl-Trek rider has a few races under his belt, after a bit of a break, due to the whole Israel-Premier Tech thing in 2025. But for a guy without that many race miles, looks like he’s got some legs.
At his debut ride at the UAE Tour, he rode consistently, finishing 7th overall and some decent form on the climbs. The Spanish stage race is another key race for him as he ramps up for one of his big goals of the year, the Giro d’Italia.
Leonard and Pickrell, too
Two other Canadians will be racing in Spain: the first being EF Education – EasyPost’s Michael Leonard. The Oakville, Ont. rider is having a fine start to 2026. There’s also Victoria’s Riley Pickrell, on his new American team, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling.
You can catch every stage, starting Monday on Flobikes.com. Canadian Cycling Magazine will also have a report following the finish. ¡Vamos, Derek, Michael y Riley!
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