The 2023 edition of the Volta a Catalunya will return to one of the toughest climbs in the region, the climb of Lo Port, which will shake up the second half of the men's World Tour Stage Race.

In 2018, Lo Port was the scene of a monumental three-way battle between Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, and Alejandro Valverde.

Lo Porto is 8.4 km long with an average gradient of 9%, reaching 20% in some of the toughest climbs. It has only been climbed four times in the past 101 Volta.

The other stages of the 2023 Volta a Catalunya are more familiar routes, with the 2022 opening stage starting and finishing in Sant Feliu de Guichols and the regular stage finishing in Barcelona.

The mountains begin early, with the Pyrenees summit finish at Valtell and La Molina in stages 2 and 3. La Molina is a particularly undulating climb, which has featured no less than seven times in the past eight editions of the race.

In 2022, Richard Carapas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Sergio Igita (Bora-Hansgrohe) upset Bolta in the transition stage, but the race in late March is traditionally settled in the Pyrenees. With the addition of the Ro Port finish, the second half of the race will be more unpredictable, and overall victory may be decided at the Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia.

A breakdown of all stage distances and intermediate mountains for the 2023 Volta a Catalunya will be revealed in the New Year.

2023 Volta a Catalunya

Stage 1: San Feliu de Guichols - San Feliu de Guichols, Monday, March 20

Stage 2: Mataró - Valtell, Tuesday, March 21

Stage 3 Oroost - La Molina, Wednesday, March 22

Stage 4: Livia - Sabadell, Thursday, March 23

Stage 5: Tortosa - Lo Port, Friday, March 24

Stage 6: Martorell - Morin de Rey, Saturday, March 25

Stage 7: Barcelona - Barcelona, Sunday, March 26 [29