The Volta a Catalunya is one of the oldest stage races in the world, first run in 1911, behind only the Tour de France and the Giro in heritage. It runs through Catalonia in March, from the Mediterranean coast up to snowbound Pyrenean summits, before a traditional finish on the Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona. The high mountains usually decide it, which makes the race a serious Grand Tour rehearsal. Mariano Cañardo won it seven times in the 1930s, and modern champions include Sean Kelly and Alejandro Valverde. In 2026 Jonas Vingegaard added it to his palmarès. For all its age it remains one of the hardest weeks of the spring.