As it happened: Race leader extends his dominance as GC gets a reshuffle
Jonas Vingegaard came out on top ahead of Lenny Martinez and Florian Lipowitz in Queralt
Sign on and rider presentation is well underway in Berga. The race does a huge loop today and we will see Berga again right before the final climb to the Santuari de Queralt the finish of the stage.
Hola and welcome to the penultimate stage of the Volta a Catalunya 2026 live here on Cyclingnews' live report page.
Let's take a look back at the amazing action of the first summit finish yesterday with our post race report...
It was a very scary finale descent for Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) as he midjudged a corner and fell into a ravine.
"I'll go for a check, but I think I'm OK."
"I am lucky I could talk on the radio. I was far from the road, and nobody knew I was there. I'm happy I could finish the stage."
It was a mixed day in the GC fight for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe as their big name leader, Remco Evenepoel, faltered on La Molina. However, their other GC man, Florian Lipowitz, shone brightly and finished fourth on the day and is well in the fight for a GC podium. His first since his surprise podium finish at last year's Tour de France.
Patrick Lefevere has voiced his opinion on his former rider, Evenepoel, yet again saying how the Belgian star should focus on one-day races rather than week long stage races and Grand Tours...
But onto today, it is the final mountain stage. The riders will roll out of Berga and head across the 158.2km route that takes in four categorised climbs, including the Especial climb of the Coll de Pradell, as well as two intermediate sprints and a summit finish on the category 1 ascent of the Queralt.
Two riders didn't start yesterday and six didn't finish. They were:
Jerseys after stage 5
One rider also not starting today is Pidcock with a "ballooned knee". The Yorkshireman voices his frustration on not being able to race the final climb of yesterday with the best and not being able to carry on this weekend, but apparently he will need "a bit of time for it to heal" after crashing on the final descent of yesterday...
The neutral start is due to happen in about half an hour.
Some more info about Pidcock after he annouced on Pinarello-Q36.5's Instagram that he has left the race with a damaged knee that will see him out for some time...
With about five minutes to the start of the neutralised zone, Vingegaard and everyone else have signed on for the day. Will the new race leader continue the dominance he showed yesterday with another win today?
The riders roll out of the start in the centre of Berga and begin the neutral zone.
Pidcock is the only non-starter but six riders didn't finish yesterday so the peloton is down to just 146 riders.
The race start appears to be a touch delayed. Riders having some issues with their bikes, no doubt.
The race has been stopped.
No attacks have gone off the front of the bunch just yet.
A few kilometres in a no-one has blinked first and made an acceleration just yet.
The race was stopped so that the ambulance to take Michel Hessmann to hospital. The Movistar rider crashed in the neutral zone and required a neck brace and stretcher to get him into the ambulance and to be taken to hospital.
The French rider now has a close rival in the KOM fight in Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), but Veistroffer has jumped first to try and take points ahead of the Italian. He is joined by Norwegian rouleur, Hvideberg. However, they only have a tiny margin on the bunch.
Veistroffer and Hvideberg have been dragged back into the peloton again.
The peloton has split due to such a high pace with about 40 riders at the front.
There have been several attacks but nothing is sticking at the moment.
The peloton split again with 25 riders out front. However, it does appear that it is coming back together again. There is one rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG out front on his own.
The lone rider was caught but the pace continues to be high with more splits starting to form.
Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Richard Carapaz (EF Edcuation-EasyPost) are among the riders involved in the recent attacking.
Vingegaard is caught in the second split
Another abandon today, Anton Kuzmin (XDS-Astana).
It appears that Soudal-Quickstep are doing the majority of the damage in the peloton with Pascal Eenkhoorn trying to set up Filippo Zana to go into the break.
The chase group
Mattia Cattaneo (RBH)
Brandon McNulty (UAD)
Bart Lemmen (TVL)
Giulio Ciccone (LTK)
Andrea Raccagni Noviero (SOQ)
Michael Leonard (EFE)
David De La Cruz (PQT)
Nairo Quintana (MOV)
Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (IGD)
Ramses Debruyne (APT)
Andreas Leknessund (UXM)
George Steinhauser (EFE)
Jake Stewart (NSN)
And four others.
The leaders are joined by the chase. They have about a minute on the peloton which does, once again, include Vingegaard.
Importantly, Veistroffer has missed the move with Ciccone in the break. The KOM jersey can't change hands on the first climb of the day but the Italian can go to just one point behind the Lotto-Intermarche rider with an Especial climb and a max of 26 points to come.
The break has one minute and 20 seconds on the peloton.
The gap continues to grow with all the major GC teams having riders in the break. There is now two minutes and 10 seconds splitting the groups.
The composition of the group isn't completely clear. Carapaz may be in there instead of Steinhauser.
An hour of racing done and the average speed is sat at 45kph. It has been a rapid start to the day.
Names in the lead group
The peloton seems to have got on top of things with the gap beginning to come down. There is now one minute and 55 seconds splitting the leading 15 riders and the bunch.
The riders are onto the first climb of the day, the Coll de la Batallola. It is 11.7km long with an average gradient of 3% and a max of 12%. It is a very uneven climb with several flat and downhill moments along the way.
Just 1km from the top with 3, 2 and 1 points available. Ciccone will go 1 point behind Veistroffer if he takes the 3 at the top.
The gap to the peloton has grown slightly to one minute and 50 seconds.
Visma-Lease a Bike are intent on controlling the peloton for Vingegaard. He seems keen on taking another stage win today.
Tao Geoghegan-Hart (Lidl-Trek) becomes the fourth rider to abandon the race today after Pidcock, Hessmann and Kuzmin.
The race is well beyond the top of the Coll de la Batallola now. No results given just yet.
If Ciccone did take the win on that last KOM, he will be a point behind Veistroffer.
The riders are now well on their way to the next climb, the toughest of the day, the 15.1km long Coll de Pradell with an average gradient of 6.5% and a maximum kick of 18%, it is one of just two Especial climbs in this year's race after yesterday's ascent of La Molina. Vallter 2000 would've been a third, but that was cancelled.
The break has two minutes over the peloton again.
The gap is stuck around one minute 50 seconds to two minutes.
The breakaway are about to start the next climb, the Coll de Pradell.
Visma-Lease a Bike are doing a terrific job of controlling things today.
The team cars are being taken out of the gap despite the peloton being said to be two minutes behind the break. Visma-Lease a Bike are riding hard behind, though.
Soler and Munton have about 10 seconds on the chasing group with 5km to the top of the climb.
The chasing group is breaking up as they try and get back to Soler and Munton.
Visma-Lease a Bike down to just two riders with Vingegaard. Maybe the race leader is looking to launch early.
Soler distances Munton as Ciccone and Svestad-Bårdseng launch to try and bridge.
Carapaz joins Ciccone and Svestad-Bårdseng. They are 25" off Soler out front. Munton in between them.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG losing riders all the time in the peloton. Adria Pericas and Brandon McNulty at the back.
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) is dropped from the peloton. Potentially still suffering after his crash at Paris-Nice.
Ciccone joins Svestad-Bårdseng, Carapaz and Munton in the chase group.
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) losing touch with the peloton.
Soler has been caught by Ciccone, Carapaz and Svestad-Bårdseng with Munton going out the back.
That was a photo finish over the top of the Coll de Pradell between Soler and Ciccone. Svestad-Bårdseng and Carapaz come in behind them.
In between the break and the peloton are Quintana on his own at 30 seconds and Uijtdebroeks at one minute 15 seconds then the peloton is at one and a half minutes.
Ciccone has gone solo on the descent and is absolutely flying.
Meanwhile, Quintana has bridged to the group of Soler, Svestad-Bårdseng and Carapaz.
Ciccone has been reabsorbed by Soler, Carapaz and Svestad-Bårdseng. They are one minute and 46 seconds in front of the peloton.
KOM (Coll de Sabadell)
1. Soler (UAD) 26pts
2. Ciccone (LTK) 20pts
3. Svestad-Bårdseng (IGD) 16pts
4. Carapaz (EFE) 14pts
5. Munton (MAP) 12pts
6. Quintana (MOV) 10pts
7. Uijtdebroeks (MOV) 8pts
Intermediate sprint (Pedraforca)
1. Ciccone (LTK) 3pts 3"
2. Soler (UAD) 2pts 2"
3. Svestad-Bårdseng (IGD) 1pt 1"
Munton has been caught by the peloton leaving just the front four out front with a gap of one minute of 38 seconds.
The riders are descending to the penultimate climb of the day, the Collada de Sant Isidre. 5km long with an average of 8.4% and a max kick of 15%.
Onto the Collada de Sant Isidre goes the break. Svestad-Bårdseng, Carapaz, Ciccone and Soler have just under a minute and a half on the peloton with 32km to go.
Multiple teams compete for the lead of the peloton onto the climb with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Ineos Grenadiers, Visma-Lease a Bike, NSN and Decathlon-CMA CGM all on the front.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe take over pacing in the peloton.
Attack
Ciccone and Carapaz launch with Svestad-Bårdseng and Soler can't follow for the moment with 3km to the top.
The gap to the peloton is now under a minute.
Svestad-Bårdseng and Soler are slowly working their way back to Ciccone and Carapaz.
Enric Mas (Movistar) losing touch with the peloton. He has teammate, Einer Rubio, working with him.
Attack
Carapaz isn't dropped, though. He is slowly coming back. Svestad-Bårdseng and Soler both starting to fade. 2km from the top.
Ciccone does now properly drop Carapaz, Svestad-Bårdseng and Soler.
Evenepoel now working for Lipowitz on the front of the peloton.
Landa, Kuss, Hindley and others all being dropped by the Evenepoel led GC group.
Ciccone goes over the top and secures the KOM jersey for the final stage tomorrow. Carapaz, Soler and Svestad-Bårdseng all in the gap but the peloton are only 42 seconds behind.
Only about 15 riders left in the GC group led by Evenepoel.
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Evenepoel is really pressing hard on this descent and has whittled the group down to about seven riders.
KOM (Collada de Sant Isidre)
1. Ciccone (LTK) 10pts
2. Soler (UAD) 8pts
3. Svestad-Bårdseng (IGD) 6pts
4. Carapaz (EFE) 4pts
5. Evenepoel (RBH) 2pts
Evenepoel is splitting the group further with riders like Uijtdebroeks and Onley struggling to follow the pace.
Riccitello is another rider who has been gapped by the pace.
Felix Gall, second overall, is out of the back along with Mattias Skjelmose.
The breakaway has been caught. Ciccone has dropped through the group to try and support Skjelmose but Afonso Eulalio is drilling the pace out front for his Bahrain Victorious leader, Lenny Martinez.
Leaders
They are 58 seconds ahead of Gall, Skjelmose, Soler and Ciccone. Onley is even further back with Svestad-Bårdseng waiting for him.
Gall was so impressive on the final climb yesterday but all that effort has come to naught thanks to the descent of the last climb.
The riders are coming back into the start town of Berga after four hours of racing under their belt. There is an intermediate sprint before the finale climb.
Martinez moving comfortably into second overall but it will all be decided on this final climb to the Santuari de Queralt. 5.9km with an average gradient of 7% and a max of 15%.
Carapaz now starting to drift off the back on one of the introductory steep sections. Afonso Eulalio has also gone out of the back after doing a huge effort for Martinez.
3km to go and Evenepoel still leads this group of five with his teammate, Lipowitz, sat on his wheel.
Lipowitz tried to let Evenepoel go clear for a stage win but Vingegaard was having absolutely none of it.
Vingegaard has 15 seconds now on Lipowitz and Martinez, 28 seconds back to Evenepoel with Paret-Peintre settled in between them.
500 metres to go for Vingegaard.
Jonas Vingegaard wins stage 6 of Volta a Catalunya 2026.
Lenny Martinez takes an important second on the day ahead of Florian Lipowitz with Valentin Paret-Peintre, Remco Evenepoel and Richard Carapaz all coming in behind them.
Vingegaard now extends his lead to Martinez out to 1'22" with Lipowitz a further 8" behind the Frenchman. Paret-Peintre and Evenepoel also move up a space with Gall dropping down to 6th after a disappointing finale.
Gall started the day in 2nd place overall at just 57" behind Vingegaard. He ends it in 6th at 3'17" behind the Dane.
Podium prizes are definitely getting weirder...
Vingegaard, of course, keeps his white and green leaders jersey going into the final day in Barcelona.
For the first time in the race, Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarche) is now the KOM leader! The white and red jersey is passed on to Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek).
Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) keeps the white and orange best young rider jersey by 3'58" over Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar).
Ciccone also took the most combative rider prize for a second day in a row. This time, someone got the news to him before he left as he didn't attend the podium yesterday and was given a hefty fine for it!
And finally, after finishing 26'39" behind Vingegaard, the points jersey of Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) is confirmed for another day. He leads Vingegaard by just two points going into the final day!
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