Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) was the strongest on the climb to the Lagos de Covadonga and won the queen stage of La Vuelta Femenina.
An attack by Gaia Realini (Trek-Segafredo) dropped Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) 5.4km from the finish, but the red jersey fought to limit her losses and crossed the line in third place, 56 seconds behind Vollering, keeping nine seconds of her GC lead.
Team SD Worx had worked hard on the second-category Collado Moandi, reducing the size of the peloton to under 20 riders. Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) attacked on the descent but were reeled in before the 12.5-kilometre finishing climb began.
With 10 km to go, Vollering started pushing at the front of the group, and 7 km from the finish, only Realini and Van Vleuten were left in her wheel. Realini’s acceleration disposed of Van Vleuten who quickly lost 20 seconds but then managed to not lose too much, helped by the fact that the final five kilometres were an up and down of short ramps interspersed with descents.
Vollering gapped Realini on a descent in the final kilometre and won the stage 11 seconds ahead of the Italian climber, but missed overall victory by nine seconds.
“The whole team fought really hard for it because we had something to make up for from yesterday, so I’m really happy that I could win here,” said Vollering after her second Vuelta Femenina stage victory.
“Two stage wins is really nice, and it was close for the GC. If it had been a bit different yesterday, then I think we would have won the GC also. Today I showed what we are worth."
Having won the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta in 2021 and 2022, Van Vleuten is now also the first winner of the Vuelta Femenina.
“I feel super happy and super super tired. I kept on fighting to the end, but I didn't have the best day, maybe yesterday's effort counted. But I never gave up. The team was amazing, and this is a team win,” she said.
How it unfolded
There was an early breakaway of three riders with two chasers behind them, but they were all caught before the climb of the Collado Moandi really began. On the 12.5km long ascent with an average gradient of 4.6 %, Team SD Worx worked to reduce the peloton to only 14 riders at the top: Van Vleuten, Vollering, Niamh Fisher-Black (Team SD Worx), Realini, Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo), Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM), Niewiadoma, Marta Cavalli, Évita Muzic (both FDJ-SUEZ), Mikayla Harvey, Erica Magnaldi, Silvia Persico (all UAE Team ADQ), and Mavi García (Liv Racing TeqFind).
Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) and Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ) returned on the descent, and Reusser immediately joined an attack by Niewiadoma. Their advantage quickly rose to 1:15 as the riders behind opted to wait for dropped teammates to come back. Eventually, though, Movistar Team and Team Jumbo-Visma opened the chase, reeling in the front duo with 15.8km to go.
Movistar had Liane Lippert set the pace on the first kilometre of the climb before Fisher-Black took over. Vollering then took charge herself, and within 500 metres, only Juliette Labous (Team DSM), Van Vleuten, Alena Ivanchenko (UAE Team ADQ), Muzic, Realini, Fisher-Black, and Bauernfeind were left on her wheel.
Van Vleuten appeared to have a problem with her bike, speaking into the radio several times and having her team car come up to talk about the issue directly. However, she was able to continue without a bike change.
Vollering’s pace steadily dropped more riders, and when Muzic lost contact 7km from the finish, only the eventual GC podium remained. On the steepest part of the final climb to Lagos de Covadonga, Realini dropped her chain when shifting gears and had to dismount to fix the issue, but she was quickly on her way again and easily closed the gap to Vollering and Van Vleuten.
Realini put in a first acceleration 5.8 km from the line that briefly saw Van Vleuten gapped, but the red jersey dragged herself back to Vollering’s wheel. Then 400 metres later, Realini tried again, and this time Van Vleuten had to let go for good.
Seeing her chance to win the race overall, Vollering set the pace on the final kilometres, climbing into the mist and dropping Realini on the last kilometre to win the stage. However, Van Vleuten could ride within her abilities in the final and limit her losses to win the general classification by nine seconds.
Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the points classification while Realini won the mountain classification.
Results
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