'If I wanted to win, I had to do something' - Primoz Roglič's second overall Volta a Catalunya victory bolsters his Grand Tour ambitions

BARCELONA SPAIN MARCH 30 Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe celebrates at podium as stage winner during the 104th Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2025 Stage 7 a 882km stage from Barcelona to Barcelona UCIWT on March 30 2025 in Barcelona Spain Photo by Szymon GruchalskiGetty Images
Primoz Roglič celebrating his overall race win (Image credit: Getty Images)

A spectacular last-minute turn of fortune saw Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) succeed fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogačar as the winner of the Volta a Catalunya - but thanks to a radically different set of circumstances and strategies. 

After the main mountain stage had been cancelled and with only one final day's racing remaining, Roglič and race leader arch-rival Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) were still only separated by one second at the top of the overall classification. 
The Spaniard's advantage was so slight that it was clear that the battle could go down to the wire - a very different situation to 2024 where Pogačar's domination was clear from the beginning of the race.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.