Sergio Gutiérrez and Janika Loiv win the queen stage of the VolCAT by SCOTT 2025

Sergio Gutierrez takes the win on the second stage of the VolCAT by SCOTT 2025. The ISB rider was part of the breakaway and soon got away along with Xavier Ariza to end the race at around kilometre 46, when he squeezed his quads on the last climb in the move that gave him the first place. For her part, Janika Loiv returned to the top of the podium after masterfully managing her lead.

Sergio Gutiérrez signs a great victory after executing his winning plan to perfection

The sun of the first stage was hidden by a thick layer of clouds, which greeted the more than 500 participants who were to compete in the queen stage of the race. The riders lined up on the grid punctually and the race started under a few shy drops of fine rain. The start was clean and the first pedal strokes led the riders to the outskirts of Igualada, between yellow walls of endless rapeseed fields.

The clouds held their breath until barely the second kilometre, when they unloaded with force in an outburst that was as violent as it was brief. The race progressed without major changes with Mario Sinués as the first outstanding leader. The T-Bikes Inverse rider got rid of his rivals and broke away in an early move that soon came to an end. Sergio Gutiérrez and Xavier Ariza gave chase and left him behind.

The race took place among endless trails, which ran through the emblematic area of Saltant de la Fou, Sant Martí de Tous. The runners went between fields and woods.

From this point on, both riders rode in tandem until well into the stage, when around kilometre 46 Gutiérrez started up the watts machine and broke away on his own. The Spaniard held on until the finish line to raise his arms to the sky of Igualada and seal a huge victory in the queen stage of the race.

Janika Loiv repeats victory and is now overall leader

The Estonian rider dominated from start to finish. The yellow jersey soon took flight without any of her peers being able to replicate the pace. Only Txell Figueras was able to stop the loss of seconds when Loiv had already put a minute between them. The trails were again the great attraction of the day; an infinite chain of trails that forced all participants to squeeze their skills on the bike.

Loiv continued to lead the race with aplomb and kept the distance with Figueras, who gritted her teeth to maintain the distance. For her part, Estíbaliz Sagardoy -second overall- was weighed down by a bad start, which condemned her to forget about the victory and try to save the furniture on a day that was definitely not the best for her.

Loiv’s ride continued unabated and the Estonian crossed the finish line to certify victory in the second stage of the race. The victory allows her to increase her lead in the general classification, to keep the leader’s jersey and to think about a possible full house to close this edition in an uncontested way.