Volta a Catalunya stage 7 – Live coverage

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final stage of the 2021 Volta a Catalunya.

Riders are currently signing on and performing media duties at the start in Barcelona.

The peloton will be rolling out for the neutralised start in around five minutes' time.

Today's stage is the usual race closer, with a long loop west of Barcelona to start before the riders head to Montjuïc Park for six laps of the hilly the finishing circuit.

Here's a look at the GC heading into the stage. It'll be very hard for anyone to overhaul Adam Yates' lead today, though podium spots could be up for grabs while the rest of the top 10 is separated by less than 30 seconds.

1 Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 23:08:45

2 Richie Porte (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers 0:00:45

3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 0:00:49

4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:03

5 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe

6 Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Team BikeExchange 0:01:04

7 João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:01:07

8 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo 0:01:20

9 Sepp Kuss (USA) Jumbo-Visma 0:01:29

10 Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange 0:01:32

The peloton have now rolled out for the neutralised start.

Today's big news comes from Gent-Wevelgem, where both Bora-Hansgrohe and Trek-Segafredo have been unable to start after positive COVID-19 cases among the squads.

Bora-Hansgrohe prevented from starting Gent-Wevelgem due to COVID-19 guidelines

Trek-Segafredo men’s squad out of Gent-Wevelgem due to positive COVID-19 tests

Back in Catalunya and Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) and the Lotto Soudal duo of Sylvain Moniquet and Steff Cras are out of the race this morning. 139 men take the start today.

The riders have officially started racing now, though the real start was held up after a Gazprom-RusVelo rider suffered a mechanical problem in the neutralised zone.

Volta a Catalunya: Adam Yates warns race is 'not over' as Barcelona finale looms

'A lot of people will want to try because it’s the last chance' says Ineos Grenadiers leader of stage 7 finale

124km to go

The peloton passed the first intermediate sprint of the day early on. Peter Sagan took the three points and bonus seconds at Molins de Rei, followed by Wout Poels and Rohan Dennis.

No break yet.

Poels is one of the early attackers today as riders attempt to break away.

Honoré takes first professional win with all or nothing approach at Coppi e Bartali

24-year-old Deceuninck-QuickStep rider takes maiden victory from attack in final stages after being in caught early break

David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates), Remy Rochas (Cofidis), Fausto Masnada and Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Alexander Kamp (Trek-Segafredo), Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) are also trying to get away.

113km to go

Nobody has made it away though. That would've been a very strong group.

The riders are now making their way up the day's first classified climb, the third-cat Coll de la Creu d'Ordal. It's 5.7km long at an average of 4.4 per cent.

It's the only climb of the day aside from the Montjuïc, which they'll climb six times.

105km to go

A huge group of around 30 riders has a small gap at the top of the climb.

It might take a while to identify all the riders out front if that ends up being our break of the day...

Ineos Grenadiers lead the peloton, while that attack group now has 35 seconds.

Groupama-FDJ's Attila Valter lead the way over that third-cat climb, by the way. Now to get to work on the riders in the break...

Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe) is in the move and is just 1:03 down on GC in 14th place.

Ineos are working to bring the move back, so I'll hold off on typing out 30 names for now. Sebastian Reichenbach (Groupama-FDJ), David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates), Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Dario Cataldo (Movistar) were among the riders in the move.

95km to go

The riders are still on a plateau after the climb. Ineos have succeeded in bringing the move back. No break yet...

And now another very large group has made a move...

32 men out front...

Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation), Luis León Sánchez, Stefan De Bod (Astana-Premier Tech), David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates), Nicolas Edet, Fernando Barceló (Cofidis), Attila Valter, Matteo Badilatti (Groupama-FDJ), Elie Gesbert, Laurent Pichon (Arkéa-Samsic), Dion Smith, Tanel Kangert (BikeExchange), Josef Černy, James Knox (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Chris Hamilton (DSM), Hermannn Pernsteiner, Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), Clement Champoussin, Jaakko Hänninen (AG2R Citroën), Rigoberto Urán (EF-Nippo), Juan Pedro López (Trek-Segafredo), Marc Soler, Sergio Samitier, Dario Cataldo (Movistar), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma), Louis Meintjes, Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert), Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe), Sean Bennett (Qhubeka Assos), Juan José Lobato (Euskaltel-Euskadi)

84km to go

2:30 between them and the peloton at the moment.

Ineos, Gazprom-RusVelo, Rally and Kern Pharma are the only teams not represented in that breakaway.

Two riders out front for Astana, Wanty, FDJ, Arkéa, BikeExchange, QuickStep, Bahrain, Cofidis, AG2R. Three for Movistar while the other teams have one each.

Nickolas Zukowsky (Rally) and Jeremy Bellicaud (Wanty) have both abandoned in recent kilometres.

80km to go

2:45 for the break after just over 50 kilometres of racing.

Here's a look at the breakaway.

The break are almost at the next intermediate sprint at Castelldefels.

65km to go

The break's advantage is up to three minutes at the halfway mark of the stage.

Dion Smith led Cataldo and Taaramäe across the intermediate sprint.

How to watch Volta a Catalunya 2021 – live TV and streaming

Adam Yates leads as riders tackle final stage in Barcelona

Not too long now until the riders hit the finishing circuit.

Ineos continue to lead the peloton, meanwhile.

50km to go

The break have hit the finishing circuit.

Four minutes for the break.

De Gendt and Mohorič lead over the top of the first ascent of Montjuïc. Pernsteiner attacks after the summit to chase them.

38km to go

De Gendt and Mohorič have around 40 seconds.

More riders try and get away from thte break.

Ineos continue to lead the peloton, 4:45 down.

The main break has split up as they chase the attackers.

López leads the chase behind the attackers. There's about 10 riders there.

Champoussin, Knox, Valter, Reichenbach, Badilatti, Taaramäe, Soler, Urán, Sánchez are also there along with a rider apiece from Arkéa and Cofidis.

De Gendt and Mohorič pass the summit once again.

30km to go

4 laps left.

Edet and Gesbert are the Cofidis and Arkéa men in the chase.

Sánchez struggles in the chase. Meanwhile, Movistar are pushing on back in the peloton.

23km to go

Geraint Thomas takes it up for Ineos, after Alejandro Valverde put in a small effort at the front. The peloton is still 4:25 down. The chasers are now 55 seconds down on the leaders.

And now Movistar are back on the front.

EF are also present towards the front of the peloton.

It's not going to happen for the chasers here. They're only losing time to De Gendt and Mohorič.

Champoussin, Gesbert and Reichenbach look the strongest from the chasers on the climb. Still 55 seconds back, though.

19km to go

Mohorič leads down the descent. He keeps pulling out a gap heading downhill. 

3:40 back to the peloton, meanwhile. Movistar still work.

There's little cooperation in the chase behind the two leaders.

16km to go

Two laps to go for the two leaders.

The peloton has split up under Movistar's pace. Maybe only around 15 riders left at the front.

The two leaders. 1:15 up now.

13km to go

3:15 back to the peloton.

Bouwman is pushing on alone from the chase group, though it's likely a hopeless effort to catch the front two.

Once again De Gendt loses contact with Mohoric on the descent and once again he gets back on after.

2:40 back to the peloton. Bouwman is still a minute back.

8km to go

Final lap for the leaders now...

It's just between De Gendt and Mohoric now.

6.5km to go

1:15 back to the chase, 2:20 back to the Movistar-led peloton.

Bouwman is caught by the chase group now. Good effort but there wasn't a chance to catch the leaders.

Only Champoussin, Valter and Reichenbach remain in that chase group now...

5km to go

De Gendt atttacks on the climb!

Mohoric has no answer for that acceleration.

4.5km to go

De Gendt solo over the top. Not sure how close Mohoric is yet..

Mohoric is nowhere to be seen. This could be De Gendt's day.

Champoussin pushes on in the chase but it's a battle for third place.

De Gendt down the descent. No sign of Mohoric yet.

3km to go

1:30 back to the peloton. De Gendt looks like he has this in the bag.

No images of the peloton at the moment so we don't know about any attacks.

De Gendt passes the Olympic stadium. Still solo and looking good.

2km to go

Looks like a 10-15 second gap back to Mohoric.

Geraint Thomas works in the peloton. Doesn't look like there have been any further major splits there.

1km to go

De Gendt has won a stage here in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019. It's about to be win number five at the Volta a Catalunya for the Belgian.

It's the 16th win of De Gendt's career! He celebrates as he crosses the line solo.

Mohoric freewheels home, 25 seconds down.

No movement in the peloton. Adam Yates is safe as race winner and it looks like Ineos have a podium lockout. Simon Yates pushes on into the final kilometre.

Valter was best of the rest in third place, 1:42 down. Reichenbach led the peloton home at 1:46.

That's the biggest stage of Adam Yates' career. He has won the Tour of Turkey, CRO Race and UAE Tour in previous years.

Here's what Thomas De Gendt had to say after the stage...

"I wanted to be in this race. Too bad it wasn't organised last year but I always like to come to the Volta a Catalunya. I was always successful here and try to do my best this year. In the first days I wasn't really good but in the last days I could feel improvement. Today I had a really good day. I already won in Barcelona before and it's really special to win in this city.

"I know in the downhill [Mohorič] could get a gap, but he waited each time. But I knew that if I attack and get 20 metres and he'd catch me in the downhill we could sprint for it, but I had to try to drop him because if I'd stayed with hm to the downhill then he'd drop me, and I get second place. I could feel that his speed was dropping a little bit so I had to try and see if I could drop him. 

"I just like this race, the terrain, the stages. This year I really liked the TT also. It changes the race and the GC a little bit. Each year I try to come to this race. I think it's my eighth or ninth time and I'm successful almost every time because I just like to do the race here."

The stage result and GC are up.

Today's winner.

A nice shot of the final podium before the podium ceremony.

Check out our report page here.

Here's the actual final podium. Esteban Chaves won both points and mountain jerseys, João Almeida was best young rider, while Ineos were top team and David de la Cruz won the prize for the top Catalan finisher.

How to watch men's and women's Gent-Wevelgem 2021 – live TV and streaming

Van Aert, Van Avermaet, Bennett, D'hoore, Vos, Deignan compete for victory at Sunday's races.

You can also follow our live text coverage of the men's and women's race right now.

We'll have more reaction and news from Catalunya coming up, too, as well as a full stage 7 report.

Here's our full report on the day's action. Keep checking back for the incoming news from Spain as well as all the latest from Gent-Wevelgem, too. 

That's a wrap on the 2021 Volta a Catalunya!