Starting the day in second place overall, Blasi had exactly one objective: isolate and drop the race leader. As the gradients ramped up into the double digits, Van der Breggen’s control finally cracked. Blasi accelerated away, leaving the Dutch legend battling just to limit her losses.
Up the road, Petra Stiasny produced a sensational ride of her own, as she managed to catch and surge past Blasi in the final kilometers, claiming a stunning solo stage victory. But just behind her, Blasi crossed the line knowing she had done more than enough to overturn the deficit and win the 2026 Vuelta a España Femenina.
Paula Blasi won La Vuelta Femenina in stunning fashion
Kopecky secures the Green Jersey
Guided by Mischa Bredewold at the final intermediate sprint, Kopecky comfortably secured her lead. Although Franziska Koch beat her across the intermediate line, the points differential was far too small to threaten the Belgian world champion’s hold on the classification.
Reflecting on the grueling final stage and her own success throughout the week, Kopecky offered praise for the pure climbers who battled for the overall win.
“It’s sad that Anna could not pull off the win, but this climb was grueling and it was quite close, as 30 seconds is not a big gap,” Kopecky stated. “Full respect for the women who had to go all out up the Angliru. As for me, I was pretty steady throughout the week and felt quite strong in the first five stages, which has allowed me to win the Points classification. We’ll see if I chase more green jerseys in the future.”