Volta a Catalunya 2026 Route stage 4: Mataró - Camprodon

Thursday, 26 March – Stage 4 has been shortened to 151 kilometres with 2,841 metres of climbing. The stage was originally set to finish on the roof of the Volta a Catalunya in the Vallter ski resort, at an altitude of 2,110 metres, but due to strong wind gusts on the planned finishing climb, the finish has been moved to Camprodon, at 988 metres above sea level.

Published on 16 March 2026
Last updated on 26 March 2026: link to race results added

Two years ago, the Volta a Catalunya last visited Mataró. Back then, the riders were sent straight into the Pyrenees, finishing at the Vallter ski area. On that day, Tadej Pogacar soloed to victory in rainy, freezing conditions.

This time the riders head in the same direction, but stop much earlier. Most of the uphill action comes early on, as the Coll de Parpers appears soon after the start, a 3-kilometre climb at 5%. After that comes the Alt de Sant Feliu de Codines: 9.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 4%.

After those intitial tests, there are no more official climbs, but that doesn’t mean the roads are flat. The route constantly rises and falls — and overall mostly rises — until an 8-kilometre descent begins with 46 kilometres to go. Once at the bottom, the rest of the route is an endless false flat towards Camprodon, with the riders following the River Ter upstream all the way.

The first three riders across the line receive 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds, while the intermediate sprints offer 3, 2 and 1 seconds.

Another interesting read: results 4th stage 2026 Volta a Catalunya.

Volta a Catalunya 2026, stage 4: routes & profiles

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[Below the original route description, with the original route and profile maps.]

Two years ago, the Volta a Catalunya last visited Mataró. Back then, the university town also served as a start venue and the riders were sent straight into the Pyrenees as well. In fact, the finish was also at the Vallter ski area. On that day, Tadej Pogacar soloed to victory in rainy, freezing conditions, although the course was not extremely hard in itself. After a long flat approach, the stage back then really came down to the final ascent.

This year’s course is considerably tougher, as the riders start climbing almost immediately, taking on the Coll de Parpers, a 3-kilometre climb at 5%. The Alt de Sant Feliu de Codines follows, ramping up the challenge over 9.8 kilometres at 4% — still manageable.

After that, there are no official climbs for dozens of kilometres, but that doesn’t mean the roads are flat. After all, those 4,000 metres of climbing have to come from somewhere. The route undulates constantly — and overall trends uphill — before the final 60 kilometres only go up. First comes an endless false flat, and in the last 11.4 kilometres the road to Vallter averages 7.6%. The first takes most of the elevation, while the steepest section hits 18%.

Vallter is a ski resort at 2,110 metres above sea level in the Pyrenees, close to the French border. But a quick hop over the border isn’t possible, as the road ends in Vallter.

Fancy riding the (original) route yourself? Download GPX 4th stage 2026 Volta a Catalunya.