Remco Evenepoel snowed in and may miss start of Volta a Catalunya

You might almost forget amidst all the Classics action, but after the weekend, the next WorldTour stage race takes place in Spain. Normally, we'd expect the first showdown between Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel there, but it’s still uncertain whether the latter will start the Tour of Catalonia. The Belgian is snowed in on Tenerife.

The Canary Islands are well known for their excellent training conditions. The Teide has long been regarded as the ideal location for a high-altitude training camp. Evenepoel is currently staying there with his wife Oumi Rayane. She shared on Instagram Friday afternoon that the couple is normally scheduled to fly to Barcelona on Saturday evening for the start of the Tour of Catalonia, but they haven’t been able to get down the mountain for two days.

Due to Storm Therese, Tenerife has been experiencing many problems. There is heavy rain, sometimes turning into strong snow showers. The slippery conditions caused by this are unusual for the Spanish island. Many flights to and from Tenerife have been canceled over the past few days. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is doing everything possible to get Evenepoel to Catalonia on time—if necessary, by helicopter.

Nordhagen also ‘stuck’
Several riders from Visma | Lease a Bike are also staying at the same hotel at altitude as Evenepoel. One of them is Jørgen Nordhagen, who, like the Belgian, will start the Tour of Catalonia on Monday. The Dutch team told WielerFlits that the talented young rider ‘should normally be able to fly on Saturday, as far as we know’. In Catalonia, he is set to learn from team leader Jonas Vingegaard. This was initially planned for the UAE Tour as well, but illness prevented the Dane from participating then.