Michael Woods Excited to Shine in Volta a Catalunya: “Some Interesting Stages”
Michael Woods, a resident of Andorra and rider for Israel – Premier Tech, has a special attachment to the Volta a Catalunya race. He has participated in every edition of the stage race for the past six years. Woods spoke about his enthusiasm for the race, saying, “there is always lots of climbing. That is obviously to my liking, especially when we are doing climbs that I know from training.”
One of the stages in the 2022 edition that Woods is familiar with is the third stage, which finishes uphill in La Molina. Woods described La Molina as a tricky climb with a challenging finish. He added, “positioning and timing can be very important.” La Molina has been a regular feature in the Volta a Catalunya from 2014 to 2019.
The following day, the race includes a stage that suits Woods’ preferences, with the finish on Boí Taüll, a climb last featured in the Volta in 2002. Woods noted that the altitude and potentially the weather will make it challenging.
The final stage takes place on Montjuïc in the city centre of Barcelona. Woods emphasized the difficulty of the Barcelona circuit, stating, “every year there is a GC shakeup on this stage as it is hard and also very technical.”
While Catalonia may not offer much for pure sprinters and time trialists, the flatter stages are better suited to punchers and sprinters who can climb well. Israel – Premier Tech is bringing riders like Daryl Impey, Simon Clarke, and Mads Würtz Schmidt to capitalize on these stages. Canadian champion Guillaume Boivin and Alessandro de Marchi and Corbin Strong will also be representing Israel – Premier Tech in Catalonia.
