Volta a Catalunya  |
| Race details |
| Date | Late-May |
| Region | Catalonia |
| English name | Tour of Catalonia |
| Local name(s) | Volta a Catalunya (Catalan) |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI ProTour |
| Type | Stage-race |
| History |
| First edition | 1911 |
| Editions | 89 (as of 2009) |
| First winner |  Sebastià Masdeu |
| Most wins | Mariano Cañardo (7 wins) |
| Most recent | Alejandro Valverde |
The Volta a Catalunya is a popular road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia. It is a part of the UCI ProTour programme, ranking only second behind the Vuelta a España in popularity for Spain. Due to its place in the riding calendar (after the Giro d'Italia), it was long viewed as an important Tour de France preparation race for cyclists. After the inauguration of the ProTour, the race moved to may, making it an alternative for the Giro. This didn't prove to be a successful change, and for the 2010 season, the race organisation announced a move to late March[1], the date formerly held by another Catalan stage race, the Setmana Catalana. The first edition was held in January and lasted for three days.[2]
The overall winner receives a white and green striped jersey. It is one of 24 races that make up the UCI World Ranking calendar.
The Volta a Catalunya is the third oldest cycling stage race in the world (first time in 1911), only behind the Tour de France (1903) and the Giro d'Italia (1909).
[edit] Past winners
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
