The world road champion, Annemiek van Vleuten, took control of the La Vuelta Femenina before Sunday’s final stage, and is now more than a minute clear of Demi Vollering, her rival for the red jersey, on the bumpy road to Laredo.
After the SD-Worx rider’s statement victory on stage five to take a narrow, five-second lead into La Vuelta’s sixth and penultimate stage, Van Vleuten needed to respond if she wanted to defend her title. The 40-year-old did just that, taking the field apart on the first climb and only narrowly being denied the stage win by Gaia Realini (Trek-Segafredo) – the Italian’s first victory on the Women’s WorldTour – by a photo finish.
