The primary Grand Tour of the season has concluded, with Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) securing the general title on Sunday in Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid.
Her dominant performances within the late mountain phases of the eight-day race led to her profitable the 2024 La Vuelta Femenina and including a second Grand Tour title to her achievements after securing the victory ultimately yr’s Tour de France Femmes.
It was an action-packed eight days of racing that kicked off with a group time trial on April 28 in Valencia and concluded on Sunday, Could 5, within the mountains situated on the outskirts of Madrid.
Whereas a number of crashes affected the opening phases of the occasion, the peloton tackled a variety of routes alongside the eight days, every thing from punchy terrain to flat programs and mountain finishes, which led to a number of new faces, together with breakaway specialists, sprinters, and climbers, on the winner’s step of the podiums.
Cyclingnews seems to be on the key takeaways from this yr’s La Vuelta Femenina.
Vollering’s first win of the season
There was loads of dialogue about Demi Vollering’s kind throughout the Spring Classics as a result of she hadn’t secured a victory earlier than beginning La Vuelta Femenina, largely compared to final yr, when she had already added 5 wins beneath he belt by this level of the season.
The Dutch Champion admitted to a slower begin this yr but in addition talked about greater targets later within the season, akin to defending her title on the Tour de France Femmes in August.
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Vollering took 4 podiums throughout the Classics, and though her kind could have fallen wanting a victory on the punchy climbs of these one-day races, she appears to be precisely the place it must be for the longer mountain ascents of the Grand Excursions.
She had loads of competitors on the three main mountain phases of La Vuelta Femenina however finally outpowered her nearest rivals, Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) at Alto del Fuerte Rapitán, and Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ), who additionally received atop La Laguna Negra, and Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) at Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid.
Her profitable margin of 1:49 over runner-up Markus and a couple of minutes over Longo Borghini confirmed how effectively ready she was for this stage race and a very good indication of the trajectory of her kind heading into stage racing season.
This will have been Vollering’s first peak of the season, however look ahead to her kind to proceed to enhance throughout the subsequent set of WorldTour races at Itzulia Ladies, Vuelta a Burgos, earlier than ramping it up once more for the Tour de France Femmes.
“It is a good begin, and I hope I can do another very nice stage races, after all,” Vollering mentioned. “I am trying ahead to the remainder of the season.”
US, Canada, New Zealand present power
Canadian Alison Jackson and American Kristen Faulkner, each racing for EF Schooling-Cannondale, put North America on the map at La Vuelta Femenina after they each secured stage wins throughout the eight-day race.
Jackson stormed to victory on the second stage, profitable a lowered bunch dash into Moncófar and performing her trademark victory dance on the end line surrounded by her teammates in celebration of their success. Two days later, Faulkner took a second victory for the American squad with a solo win in Zaragoza.
“It’s been such a very good week,” Faulkner mentioned. “I’m so pleased with how the group carried out. Not solely did everybody do their job on a regular basis, however we walked away with two stage wins, a number of prime tens, a second place. Kim [Cadzow] did rather well within the mountains. She’s actually coming alongside as a rider and as a climber. I’m tremendous excited for the remainder of the season.”
EF Schooling-Cannondale is of their first season as a Continental outfit and has capitalised off of their invites to the most important races, making certain each one counts. With a stable roster and a ‘pondering exterior the field‘ mentality, the group have received ten races this season, greater than a few of the top-tier WorldTour groups.
Within the general classification, New Zealand was additionally a presence with EF Schooling-Cannondale’s Kim Cadzow ending within the prime 10 on mountaintop finishes Alto del Fuerte Rapitán and at La Laguna Negra and ending tenth general in her GC debut.
Cadzow’s efficiency provides New Zealand one other contender alongside SD Worx-Protime’s Niamh Fisher-Black, who completed seventh general and Ella Wylie, who was not on the Vuelta however completed seventh general on the Tour Down Beneath.
“The Vuelta has been fairly superb,” Cadzow mentioned. “I really feel like I’ve had a little bit of a curler coaster whereas being right here, but it surely’s been superb for my first grand tour. The group has placed on in all probability essentially the most superb efficiency we may have ever imagined. I feel we’re all going to go residence pleased.”
Markus, Muzic, Kastelijn on the rise
A number of riders toed the beginning line of La Vuelta Femenina as outright contenders within the race for the maillot rojo and lived as much as these GC expectations. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) received the general title, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) completed on the rostrum in third, and Juliette Labous (Staff dsm-firmenich PostNL) confirmed promising stage racing kind to complete fourth place general.
There have been additionally some nice surprises who raced their method into the GC standings, all riders with the power and talent to complete on the prime of the general classification however who won’t all the time have the chance to take action.
Visma-Lease a Bike began with a runner-up efficiency within the group time trial and went on to win two phases and the factors jersey with Marianne Vos, who additionally wore the chief’s jersey after stage 4. Nevertheless, it was Riejanne Markus who bided her time because the race performed out for the general classification. After ending fourth general final yr, her regular efficiency on the mountain phases and a powerful finale noticed her soar forward of Longo Borghini and end runner-up behind Vollering on the rostrum on this version.
Evita Muzic has come into her kind this season, and her fourth place at Flèche Wallonne meant she got here into the Vuelta in prime kind. Even so, it was her excellent efficiency on stage 6, the place she beat Vollering atop La Laguna Negra, that turned heads and put her in rivalry for a prime GC end result. She went on to complete second behind Vollering on the finale stage 8 to Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid, however solifide her fifth place within the general.
Fenix-Deceuninck have been turning heads since final season’s performances on the Tour de France Femmes, and so they carried their group success into this Vuelta, too, with Yara Kastelijn ending on the rostrum at Alto del Fuerte Rapitán and La Laguna Negra. She ended up eighth general, simply forward of her teammate Pauliena Rooijakkers in ninth.
Spanish riders acquire top-tier expertise
The extent of races throughout Spain is steadily growing with the addition of top-tier races, La Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Ladies, and Vuelta a Burgos, together with a number of lower-level one-day and stage races on the worldwide calendar over latest years.
Movistar lined up as the one top-tier group registered in Spain, however having adjusted their targets for the reason that retirement of Annemiek van Vleuten on the finish of final yr. Additionally on the beginning line had been Spain’s solely two Continental groups; Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi and Eneicat-CMTeam, each in search of alternatives to achieve expertise in top-tier racing on residence soil.
Though the nation’s competing riders could not have persistently positioned among the many prime 10 within the phases finishes or common classification, they took alternatives all through the eight-day race that catered to their strengths in dash finishes, breakaways, combativity awards, that are all vital for constructing expertise within the race in addition to gaining visibility as a nation.
Sheyla Gutiérrez (Movistar) was the highest-placed stage finisher, fifth on stage 4 into Zaragoza, as a part of a chase group behind Kristen Faulkner. Within the general classification, Spanish Champion Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) was the highest-placed finisher, twentieth. That might not have been her greatest efficiency, however she will even be stronger leads to the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
Mireia Benito (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal Staff) was probably the most energetic riders of the occasion, racing right into a prolonged 111km solo breakaway on stage 3 and ending the occasion because the winner of the tremendous combativity prize.
“Our group is making large steps, and I am immensely pleased with our collective effort. I’m actually trying ahead to the upcoming races and the alternatives they maintain. It is actually gratifying to face on the rostrum as soon as once more, particularly receiving the Tremendous Combativity Prize in La Vuelta Femenina. It boosts my confidence, additionally as a result of it’s not straightforward to get into the breakaways. So I’m very proud of the prize.” mentioned Benito.
Vuelta units the tone for Itzulia, Burgos
Spain provides an abundance of racing throughout the season, starting with spring occasions akin to the brand new trio of races on the Problem Femenina Mallorca, Costa de Almeria, Vuelta CV Feminas, Setmana Valenciana, and Clasica de Almeria and Vuelta Extremadura Féminas.
The growing development of La Vuelta Femenina transferring to the Could spot on the calendar and growing seven days in 2023 after which eight days this yr with main mountain finishes in each editions has lived as much as its top-tier expectations.
The occasion now units the tone as the primary Grand Tour of the season and leads immediately into the subsequent two Ladies’s WorldTour races, additionally in Spain, on the Itzulia Ladies held from Could 10-12 and Vuelta a Burgos held from Could 16-19.
Lots of the prime common classification contenders will stay in Spain to compete within the following two occasions, making a high-quality month of mountainous stage racing that can doubtless embody Itzulia defending champion Marlen Reusser and Burgos defending champion Demi Vollering, each SD Worx-Protime, together with different riders to observe; Juliette Labous (Staff dsm-firmenich PostNL), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal) and Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ).
