It’s been 51 years since starting venue Sant Joan de les Abadesses made its first and only appearance in the Volta a Catalunya, while Port Ainé hosted a stage finish as recent as 2021. That day, Esteban Chaves soloed to victory, finishing 7 seconds ahead of the GC group with race leader and eventual GC winner Adam Yates.
Subsequent to the start the riders head westward to finish high up in the Pyrenees. The Port de Toses is the first of two obstacles they have to conquer on their way to get there. It’s an 11 kilometres climb with an average gradient of almost 6%, while the second part is by far the hardest part.
The Toses climb peaks out at 1,775 metres above sea level. A long descent takes the riders to Seu d’Urgell, a small town at the base of the Port del Cantó. Which is a climb of almost 25 kilometres with the hardest part at the bottom. After 6 kilometres the inclination drops and the average gradient of the Cantó climb hovers around 4%. The riders reach the summit with 45 kilometres left to race.
Following the descent and a section in the valley the finish climb to Port Ainé kicks in. It adds up to 18.5 kilometres, in which the riders are to brave an average gradient of 6.8%. The first 3 kilometres are steepest, although you’ll find a 800 metres section at more than 10% just before the finish. The dying metres of the race even out to 5%.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 3rd stage 2024 Volta.
Another interesting read: results 3rd stage 2024 Volta a Catalunya.
Volta a Catalunya 2024, stage 3: route, profile, more
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