The GC leaders didn't hit the Montjuic full gas but did whittle down the front group (van der Poel was dropped), and then del Toro went full gas from the bottom of the Cote du Stade Olympique, the final ramp to the line, catching late attacker Mattias Skjelmose for a UAE one-two: Pogačar second on the same time, Evenepoel third, Vingegaard fourth. Vingegaard keeps yellow, now 6 seconds over Pogačar.
From Strava: the winning kick up the final ramp to the Estadi Olímpic took just 51 seconds (Pogačar and Evenepoel both set it, 5 seconds faster than the previous pro record). Del Toro kicked first and went at least as fast: with his high entry speed factored in, we estimate ~750 W, or roughly 12 W/kg, for the 51 seconds.
Up the Montjuic (595 m at 12.6%), the favorites rode a controlled ~7.3 W/kg tempo, 22 seconds slower than the segment record, saving everything for the final kick.
1 · The Terrain & Who Wins
A punchy, rolling day decided on the late climb of Cote du Chateau de Montjuic (1.6 km @ 9.3%). Suits a strong breakaway or an explosive finisher who can hurt people on a short, steep ramp.
Rider type: Puncheurs & breakaway specialists
2 · The Watts/kg It Takes to Win
An estimated ~575 W held for ~3:45 (vo2 max).
Montjuïc mirrors La Redoute (~1.6 km). At the 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tadej Pogačar and Paul Seixas climbed La Redoute at an estimated 8.7 to 8.8 W/kg in about 3:45, one of the greatest four-minute efforts on record. That anchors our 8.7 W/kg prediction above.
3 · Three Favorites
- 1Tadej Pogačar
- 2Mathieu van der Poel
- 3Remco Evenepoel
4 · Train These Watts — Copy This Into CoachCat
What that workout looks like (5 x 4 min VO2 max at 108-115% FTP):
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