Two hectic first days at La Vuelta Femenina saw multiple crashes reshape the race, with stage-win-contender Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and first race leader Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) both forced to abandon due to injury.
Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed Monday morning that Vos would not start Stage 2 after suffering a broken collarbone in a crash late in the opening stage. The incident occurred inside the final 10 kilometres on slick roads, where a split in the peloton caught out the former world champion.
Vos managed to rejoin the front group in the closing kilometres and still sprinted to an impressive seventh-place finish. Shortly after, the team announced the extent of her injury.
The injury marks at least the fourth time Vos has fractured her collarbone. Previous incidents include crashes at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2018, the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in 2017 and the Valkenburg Hills Classic in 2012.
Vos’ withdrawal is a significant blow to Visma-Lease a Bike as the team "had set its sights on stage wins with Vos this week, among other things," the team reported. It also leaves last year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with her trusty road captain.
With Vos, the team continued to secure a fifth place on stage 2 with Canadian Sarah van Dam, who said the team "tried to give it our all today with Marianne in mind."
Visma - Lease a Bike wasn’t the only team affected. Stage 2 brought further upheaval as Rüegg, who had claimed victory and the overall lead in Stage 1, was forced to abandon following a crash with 12 kilometres remaining. The EF Education-Oatly rider appeared to touch wheels with a teammate before crashing hard. Both riders required immediate medical attention, but the extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.
Rüegg had taken the leader’s jersey after winning the opening stage in Salvaterra de Miño, outsprinting Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx - Protime). At the time, Rüegg described the victory as "just a dream" and credited her team’s belief, saying they had more confidence in the plan than she did herself.
Following her abandonment, the race lead passed to Paris-Roubaix winner, Franziska Koch, who moved into the overall lead after finishing second on Stage 2.
La Vuelta Femenina consists of seven stages this year, ending on Friday, May 8th, at the top of the feared L'Angliru climb.
