Storm Therese casts doubt on Remco Evenepoel's Volta a Catalunya start

Remco Evenepoel’s participation at the Volta a Catalunya is in question due to the impact of Storm Therese on travel from Tenerife, where he has been training at altitude in recent weeks.

The Belgian is currently atop Mount Teide in preparation for the Volta a Catalunya, which gets under way on Monday.

In a post on Instagram, Evenepoel’s wife Oumi Rayane revealed that they were currently snowed in on the volcano. Evenepoel is due to fly to Barcelona on Saturday to link up with his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates.

“We’re stuck up on Teide for the 2nd day because of the snow… No one can go up or down,” Rayane wrote. “We’re supposed to fly to Barcelona tomorrow (for the race), but not sure we’ll make it.”

Tenerife has been battered by Storm Therese in recent days, with high winds and torrential rain, as well as heavy snow at high altitude. Multiple flights to and from the island were cancelled or diverted on Wednesday and Thursday due to the conditions.

The island activated its emergency weather plan on Wednesday, and the forecast indicates that conditions will deteriorate further over the weekend. 

Evenepoel is among the most eagerly anticipated competitors at the Volta a Catalunya, where he is due to line up against Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) for the first time this season, while João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) also feature.

After a flying start to life at Red Bull that saw him claim victories at the Challenge Mallorca and the Volta Valenciana, Evenepoel’s momentum was tempered at the UAE Tour, where he won the time trial before struggling on the two summit finishes.

Evenepoel is set to lead Red Bull at the Tour de France in his first season at the team, and the Volta a Catalunya would see him line up alongside his co-leader in July, Florian Lipowitz.

The Volta a Catalunya is also a key race in Evenepoel’s build-up to the Ardennes Classics, where he will look to overcome Tadej Pogacar and win a third Liège-Bastogne-Liège after previous triumphs in 2022 and 2023.