As it happened - Width of a tyre splits pre-race favorites on La Molina in Volta a Catalunya stage three

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The two main GC favourites kicked away from everyone else in the sprint to the line

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Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2025 - Everything you need to know

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Hello and welcome to CyclingNews' live report of stage three at the Volta a Catalunya 2025.

Today's stage is the longest of the week with the riders tackling 218.6km with over 5000 metres of climbing ahead with the finish on La Monlina. 

Yesterday, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), backed up his super stage one win with a second place behind fellow Brit, Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech).

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) comes into today feeling strong and relaxed as the race heads to the mountains.

The strength in depth at UAE Team Emirates-XRG is scary sometimes and today may be no different as they have a solid lineup with multiple potential leaders...

The neutral start is due to happen in around eight minutes time. 

Neutralised start

Today is the longest stage of this week with plenty of mountains ahead. There should be a big fight to get into the breakaway today from the likes of Danny van der Tuuk (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Diego Uriarte (Kern Pharma) and Mario Aparicio (Burgos-Burpellet-BH).

The start is just delayed due to a mechanical for a Burgos-Burpellet-BH rider. 

Racing starts!

Attack!

Breakaway caught as the race hurtles towards the first intermediate sprint of the day which is located in Molins de Rei. There are 3, 2 and 1 bonus second(s) and point(s) available here. 

Attack!

Intermediate sprint (Molins de Rei)

Wenzel and Bouchard still lead but they now have Edward Planckaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) trying to join them. He is just 22" behind with the gap to the peloton heading towards 30". 

The pace is upped in the peloton and it appears the three riders out front may be caught very soon. 

Planckaert makes it to Wenzel and Bouchard but the peloton are just 9" behind them. 

It appears that the team chasing in the peloton was Euskaltel-Euskadi as the Basque team have launched Jokin Murguialday across the gap and now the peloton look to have eased up. 

Mechanicals

200km to go

Murguialday has been caught by the peloton as the pace is ramped up yet again. Just 10" between the leaders and the peloton. 

Breakaway caught!

Immediately, new moves start as the battle to form the morning breakaway goes into the afternoon over in Spain as we're beyond midday. 

A big group of around 20 riders have a small gap on one of the foothills before they reach the first categorised climbs of the day, the Coll d'Estenalles (10.4km with an average gradient of 4% and max of 12%), with the top just under 30km away. 

That massive breakaway has, unsurprisingly, been dragged back again. 

190km to go

Attack!

This group of four appears to have been allowed to go as the gap now goes above a minute for the first time today. 

Crash

Abandon

180km to go

One hour of racing done and the break has a gap of over two and a half minutes on the peloton. The average speed has been 40.8kph. 

The gap stretches to four minutes as the race starts the Coll d'Estenalles climb.

Meanwhile, after crashing, Rainer Kepplinger (Bahrain Victorious) is back on his bike and seeking medical assistance at the doctors car. 

The gap has grown out to over six and a half minutes as Armirail, Wenzel, Germani and Molenaar continue to work well together. There are 5, 3, 2 and 1 point(s) available at the top of the Coll d'Estenalles climb. They are 8km from the top. 

Bike change

The gap is being reduced slightly and now sits just above six minutes with 2km to the top of the first climb of the day. 

1km to the top of the Coll d'Estenalles. 

As the break goes over the top of the Coll d'Estenalles, the gap dips under six minutes for the first time since starting the climb. 

The break's gap has gone just above the six minute mark again. 

Mechanical

Abandon

KoM (Coll d'Estenalles)

150km to go

The gap, once again, dips under six minutes as the peloton are descending at a much higher speed. 

The teams setting the tempo at the front of the peloton are Lennert Van Eetvelt's Lotto squad and Juan Ayuso's UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The latter also has the potential of using Adam Yates, Marc Soler and maybe teenage sensation, Pablo Torres for a GC fight as well. 

140km to go

After two hours of racing, the average speed is 39kph. 

The break are just over 2km from the second intermediate sprint, located in Horta d'Avinyó.

Intermediate sprint (Horta d'Avinyó)

So far today, Mats Wenzel has won both intermediate sprints and the KoM sprint for his Kern Pharma team. The 22-year-old from Luxembourg is having a great day on the road.

The riders are now climbing consistently for pretty much 60km with a couple of small descents along the way before cresting the next climb of the day, the category three 11.7km long Coll de la Batallola which has an average gradient of 3% and a max of 12%. They are around 49km away from the official start of the ascent. 

Mechanical

120km to go

The gap to the break is being reduced with it falling to just over five and a half minutes thanks to the pace being set by Julius Johansen of UAE Team Emirates-XRG with help from Lotto. 

100km to go

Crash!

After three hours of racing and a day of mostly climbing, the average speed is still around the 39 to 40kph mark. 

An update on Henri Vandenabeele (Lotto) who left the race earlier today...

Just 10km before the break officially start the second climb of the day, the Coll de la Batallola. 

Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) has rejoined the peloton after crashing earlier in the stage. 

The gap has now dropped under four and a half minutes as the peloton appear to have absolute control over the breakaway. 

As the gap continues to be reduced up to the break, here is a reminder of who is up there in the group of four:

The gap has come down further and is now just above four minutes. 

The riders have now reached the bottom of the 11.7km climb of Coll de la Batallola with an average gradient of 3% and a max of 12%. There are just 3, 2 and 1 point(s) available at the top. 

Mechanical

70km to go

Ineos Grenadiers and Visma-Lease a Bike are battling for control as they now get closer to the top of the Coll de la Batallola climb which has a short descent before starting the HC climb of Coll de la Creueta. 1km to the top for the break who are now just over three and a half minutes on the bunch. 

KoM (Coll de la Batallola)

Several riders going out of the back including points jersey and yesterday's stage winner, Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech). Lidl-Trek have joined Visma-Lease a Bike, Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Lotto on the front of the peloton. 

Mechanical

Crash!

60km to go

After four hours of racing the average speed has dropped a touch to 38kph. 

Onto the Coll de la Creueta, an especial climb where 26, 20, 16, 14, 12 and 10 points available. It is 21.2km long with an average gradient of 5% with a max kick of 15%. A proper test that could see some early attacks. 

Slovenian national champion, Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), leading the peloton for Juan Ayuso and potentially Adam Yates. Lotto has returned to their position just behind the Emirati squad as well. 

The gap has dropped under two minutes thanks to the pace set by Domen Novak in the peloton. 

Attack in break

Novak swings off the front and now it is Lotto who take up the pacing for Lennert Van Eetvelt. 

Bruno Armirail now has extended the advantage between him and the Lotto led peloton to 2'34". He has 40" on the rest of the break, as well. 

40km to go

UAE Team Emirats-XRG and Movistar have taken over the pace setting on the front of the peloton as Lotto were just not going anywhere near fast enough. 

The pace change sees Armirail's gap drop to under three minutes again. And multiple riders are being distanced. 

Armirail has now ridden into the snow line of the Coll de la Creueta. The peloton is getting rid of riders all the time thanks to the pace being set by Pavel Sivakov and Pablo Torres of UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Bruno Armirail leads over the top of the Coll de la Creueta climb and takes the 26 points. 

Crash!

30km to go

KoM (Coll de la Creueta)

Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) and Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) are caught by the charging UAE Team Emirates-XRG led peloton. 

The race leader, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) is still comfortably in the peloton after cresting the highest point of the stage. 

With one more climb to go, Bruno Armirail is the new leader of the KoM standings by three points over Mats Wenzel. 

Onto the final climb of the day, La Molina. It is 12.1km long with an average gradient of 5% with a max kick of 15%. There are 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point(s) available. The peloton are now just 1'13" with Lidl-Trek coming up to chase with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. 

The pace changes dramatically with Pablo Torres (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) coming to the front and that sees Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)  finally decide to pull the pin on the day and is dropped by the bunch. 

10km to go

Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) now takes over the pace setting as Pablo Torres swings off. The pace is ramped up just a little bit more. 

Attack

Bruno Armirail caught. 

Attack!

Attack!

Adam Yates drags Kuss and O'Connor back and the pace drops again with 8km to go. 

Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) comes to the front with Primož Roglič looking as cool as a cucumber in second wheel. 

Into the final 7km and Pellizzari still leads the group with Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike on his wheel. He is marked by Juan Ayuso and then the rest of the riders cluster around the 22-year-old from Barcelona. 

Attack!

5km to go

Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) goes solo but there are riders bridging across with Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) launching across the gap. 

George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech) has been caught by the peloton but Soler and Fortunato are now joined by Kuss with more moves coming from behind with 4km to go. 

Soler is the best placed in GC in this lead group at 31" but Fortunato is just over a minute down. Kuss has already lost a lot of time and is almost three minutes down. 

Into the final 3km and the gap has grown to about 10" as Kuss is absolutely flying down this brief descent before the final kick up towards the line. 

Now just 2km to go and Pellizzari is back to chasing in the peloton for Primož Roglič who is still following the wheels. 

Now they begin to climb with just over a kilometre to the line and they have about 14" gap. 

Flamme Rouge

500 metrs to go and the catch is vry nearly made. Do the leaders have anything left or is it all about the chasing pack.

Attackers caught and it is Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) leadig the way with 400 metres to go but now Soler starts the leadout for Ayuso with Primož Roglič perfectly placed. 

It's a photo finish between Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). That was very very close. 

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) wins stage three of the Volta a Catalunya 2025 by the width of a tyre over Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). 

Top 10

GC after stage three

Interesting to see Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) being totally empty after the finish, whereas Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was as cool as you like and looking like he hadn't even been racing for over five hours. Potentially telling for the summit finish on Montserrat tomorrow. 

Here is Primož Roglič after the finish. All smiles and immediately giving interviews while Juan Ayuso looked exhausted in a heap on the snow. 

Tomorrow's stage is between Sant Vicenç de Castellet and Montserrat Mil·lenari over the course of 188.7km which is another day of climbing with a brutal summit finish. Likely to be another day of battling between Juan Ayuso and Primož Roglič, but will anyone else be involved?

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