Bagà returns to the Volta as the starting point for a stage of the women's race
December 12 th 2024 - 12:34 [GMT + 1]
The announcement was made official at a ceremony held this morning at Bagà Town Hall
The women's race of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2025 will start one of the three stages of the race from the town of Bagà in Berguedà. In this way, the Berguedà region will also be the protagonist of the women's race, an agreement that has been made possible thanks to the town council and the support of the Consell Comarcal del Berguedà. The race, which has been consolidated in the international UCI 2.1 category, promises to bring the best women's teams on the current scene to Catalonia.
After making the leap in category this 2024, the women's race of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya is preparing the second edition of the race that will take place between 6 and 8 June 2025. Three stages that will bring together in our territory the best teams and cyclists of the moment and will once again leave us with images to remember like the ones we experienced a few months ago. On that occasion we saw a legend of women's cycling, Marianne Vos, who holds numerous titles as World Champion and Olympic Champion, crowned as the winner of the first edition of the race.
At a ceremony held this morning at Bagà Town Hall for the press, local authorities and the organizers of the Volta, the municipality was confirmed as the starting point for the second stage of the race, on Saturday 7 June, which is expected to be a day of high mountains.
The town of Bagà, with just over 2,000 inhabitants, will be the focus of media interest in June. Located in the heart of the Pyrenees, at an altitude of over 700 metres and at the northern end of Alt Berguedà, Bagà has important heritage buildings such as the church of Sant Esteve (14th century) and is surrounded by a unique environment in the heart of nature, making the municipality an extraordinary place for sports. Hiking, trail and alpine skiing are the best examples. It is also the economic engine of the area and has infrastructures that serve the surrounding villages.
Historically, Bagà has collaborated with the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, on six occasions in the men's race. Four of these were as the starting point of a stage from the town Centre, while on two occasions it has been the finishing point at the Coll de Pal mountain pass. The last time the Volta was present in Bagà was in 2016, in a stage that started in the municipality of Berguedà and finished in Port Ainé. In 1988, 1979 and 1978, Bagà also hosted a start of the historic Catalan cycling race, while in 1978 and 1979, it repeated its presence in the race by hosting the finish of a stage in the ski resort of Coll de Pal (in the municipality of the town). In 2013 Bagà also hosted the start of a stage of the Tour of Spain.
In this way, Bagà will repeat the experience in this case, in the women's race. With the confirmation of a stage through Berguedà in the men's race of the 104th edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, the presence of the Catalan County will have an important place in the routes of the two races of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2025. The county is strengthening its attractiveness and potential for cycling.
The mayor of Bagà, Lluís Casas said that ‘for our town, hosting a stage of the Women's Volta Ciclista a Catalunya is a great honor and a unique opportunity to show the world the beauty of our municipality and the passion of its inhabitants for cycling’. The mayor explained that ‘Bagà has historically been an important stage in the Catalan cycling scene. Its participation in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, both in the men's and women's editions, is evidence of how deeply rooted this sport is. We are delighted to once again host a race of this magnitude, and it allows us to strengthen Bagà's commitment to cycling and demonstrate our organizational capacity in sporting events’. The mayor of Bagà believes that ‘this event will not only boost our tourism and economy but will also consolidate Bagà as a benchmark in the sporting sphere. We are very happy to welcome the best cyclists, and we will work to offer them an unforgettable experience. We invite all cycling enthusiasts to join us in this sporting festival that will project our municipality’.
Ramon Caballé, President of the Consell Comarcal del Berguedà said ‘We continue to consolidate our commitment to cycling in the Berguedà, with the aim of continuing to showcase the region in the cycling world. We have a privileged environment with exceptional mountain passes that are a treasure for this sport. The commitment to the women's Volta is a question of justice. We must lead by example, and it was not acceptable that in the last two years Berguedà received two men's stages, but no women's stage. I hope that this women's stage will cover as much of Berguedà as possible and that we can enjoy a day that is on a par with the big tours.
Rubén Peris, general director of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya commented on the virtues of the municipality for the staging of a stage of the race: ‘Located in a unique environment, Bagà is a beautiful natural setting that will allow us to stage a stage of great natural beauty and that will surely make us enjoy a unique cycling spectacle. Furthermore, the municipality already knows what it is like to host the start of a stage of the Volta, and this will allow us to benefit from the experience of a town that is making every effort to host a stage start of this second edition of the women's race of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya’.
Between 6 and 8 June 2025 we will once again experience the best women's cycling in the world, a race that became an organizational, sporting and media success in its 1st edition, with the arrival in Catalonia of cyclists of the stature of the final winner of the race, Dutch rider Marianne Vos (Visma Lease en Bike), but also her teammate Riejanne Markus (Visma Lease-Bike), Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ), Norwegian rider Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility) or the recent winner of two world titles, Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Team).
