Vingegaard set for tougher test against Almeida and Evenepoel at Volta a Catalunya

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) sealed a historic overall victory at Paris-Nice, delivering the most dominant winning margin in the race in nearly 90 years. Yet the Dane is already shifting his focus, with the Volta a Catalunya set to begin on Monday.

The 29-year-old claimed three stage wins during the week and was never seriously challenged in the general classification. Speaking after his triumph in Nice, Vingegaard was already looking ahead to the different demands awaiting him in Spain.

"It will be different. Here the climbs were shorter, whereas there will be longer climbs, and that is, of course, a different effort. So it will be interesting to see how my form is there," Vingegaard told Feltet.

Paris-Nice ultimately offered no summit finish longer than eight kilometres after the planned stage seven finale to Auron was cancelled due to bad weather. Catalunya, by contrast, will pose a very different challenge, with several climbs exceeding 10 kilometres, including the 16.5 kilometre summit finish to Coll de Pal on stage five.

The race is also set to deliver the head to head battles that were missing in France. Juan Ayuso crashed out of Paris-Nice, while João Almeida did not start, leaving Vingegaard without a direct benchmark against key rivals. Both Almeida and Remco Evenepoel are expected to line up in Catalunya, raising the level of competition as the Dane targets another overall victory.

It will be Vingegaard’s second race of the 2026 season, with the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France his main objectives later in the year. Despite his dominant showing in France, he remains measured in his assessment of his form.

“Right now, I think my form is good. It can get better, but I still think I am in a good place right now,” he said.

"It is one of the biggest races in the world and of course very prestigious, and in a way it is a good way to prepare for the Giro, so I hope to do well," Vingegaard added.

Almeida and Vingegaard had a slight war of words over the past week Portuguese rider had previously aimed at Vingegaard in the build-up to the season. The Dane, fresh off his dominant week in France, had a pointed response when asked about it.

“You always try to make things perfect. But now the same applies the other way around. So you shouldn’t throw stones when you live in a glass house,” Vingegaard told Feltet.

The 2026 edition will mark Vingegaard’s first appearance at the Volta a Catalunya, with the Dane having previously opted for different races at this stage of the season throughout his career.