Dorian Godon beats Evenepoel in a thrilling start to the Volta
March 23 rd 2026 - 18:42 [GMT + 1]
Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) is the first leader of the 105th edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya after securing victory in the opening stage, which started and finished in Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The French champion, who was in great form after winning a stage at Paris-Nice a few days earlier, managed to outpace Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Briton Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling) in a spectacular finish, two of the main contenders for the overall victory in the race.
1 161 cyclists set off from Sant Feliu de Guíxols for the opening stage of the 2026 Volta Catalunya, a 172.7-kilometre route featuring the mountain climbs of Alt de Romanyà (3rd category) and Alt de Sant Hilari Sacalm (1st category) in the first half, before tackling the explosive final section on the Tossa de Mar road and the demanding straight stretch of the Carretera de Girona.
Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), who dominated the day’s points classifications and was awarded the prize for the most combative rider of the day, brothers Hugo Aznar (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Unai Aznar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), and New Zealander Josh-Burnet Tyler Stites (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) formed the breakaway of the day, which never managed to open up a gap of more than 4 minutes.
Teams with a chance of a sprint finish, such as NSN Cycling Team, Bahrain Victorious and Ineos Grenadiers, worked to close the gap on the group. In the end, it was Josh Burnett (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) who put up the strongest solo fight at the front of the race, only to be caught 11 kilometres from the finish line by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who intensified the race on the demanding road to Tossa de Mar.
Race leaders such as Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease en Bike) sought to control the final kilometres themselves until the last kilometre, where Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) emerged victorious from a very long sprint against the main contenders for the overall Volta victory to become the race’s first leader.
The Volta a Catalunya It will continue on Tuesday 24 March with a second stage covering 167.4 kilometres between Figueres and Banyoles, offering the race’s top sprinters a chance to win the stage.
