The 2009 Volta a Catalunya was the 89th edition of the Volta. It took place between 18 May and 24 May, and was part of both the ProTour and the inaugural World Calendar. It began with a short individual time trial in Lloret de Mar and ended in Montmeló at the Circuit de Catalunya. Teams As the Volta a Catalunya is a UCI ProTour event, all 18 ProTour teams were invited automatically. They were joined by three Professional Continental teams. Andalucía–CajaSur Contentpolis-Ampo Route Stages Stage 1 18 May 2009 – Lloret de Mar, 3.6 km (ITT) The course for the brief individual time trial is perfectly flat. Despite clocking in ten seconds slower than he had on the identical course in the 2008 Volta, Thor Hushovd was the winner of the short individual time trial for the second year in a row, narrowly edging out Alejandro Valverde to don the first white jersey. Stage 2 19 May 2009 – Girona to Roses, 163.1 km This course was hilly, with three categorized climbs, including one about 15 kilometers from the finish. A four-man breakaway was away for much of the stage. They claimed the intermediate sprints and the first two climbs, putting Samuel Dumoulin and Lloyd Mondory, respectively, in the leading jerseys for those classifications. They were caught on the last climb of the day, the Alt de San Pere De Rodes, during which race leader Thor Hushovd was dropped and his Cervélo team decided to work for Xavier Florencio. A group of 54 riders was together at the finish for a final sprint, won by Matti Breschel. The race lead transferred to Alejandro Valverde, who was surprised to get it, since he did not contest the sprint and did not get any time bonuses. Stage 3 20 May 2009 – Roses to La Pobla de Lillet, 182.8 km This was a mountainous stage, and it was thought to see a definitive split between those riders who aimed for the final podium and those who didn't. The stage started at sea level, but climbed to 1,031 meters after about 80 kilometers on the road. There were two other categorized climbs on the course, including a steep climb to 1,200 meters right before the end of the stage, which came on the descent from that climb. This stage saw race leader Alejandro Valverde extend his lead with a stage win. After the