Published May 2, 2026 07:50PM
Tour de France champions Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Kasia Niewiadoma headline the field for the first Grand Tour of the season, with the Vuelta España Femenina sparking into life Sunday.
The entirety of the WorldTour event will be based in the north of Spain, getting underway with what is the first non-TTT stage in four years. In all the riders will rack up 14,500 altitude meters across seven days, something ace climber Niewiadoma is relishing.
She is perhaps the top favorite, particularly as defending champion Demi Vollering is not taking part. Niewiadoma was second in the Amstel Gold Race, Strade Bianche Donne and Omloop Nieuwsblad this season, as well as third in last weekend’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fourth in Flèche Wallonne. She’s riding very strongly and is determined to perform well in GC and to land her first win.
“My goal for La Vuelta is to finish on the podium. It’s also not a secret that I’ve been chasing victories for my whole career, so I definitely want to find the opportunity to raise the hands on one of the stages,” the Polish national champ said.
Niewiadoma admitted in recent days she felt tired after Liège plus subsequent travelling, but has had some time to recover. She sees next weekend as the most crucial part. .
“La Vuelta looks really hard, especially the last two days, so I’m curious to see where my body is at, how I recover, and how I get through this long stage race.
“It’s going to be the first bigger stage race for most of us, so I’m very curious to see the final outcome.”
‘Everything I do is aimed at improving’
Also curious is last year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion Ferrand-Prévot, who was by far the strongest rider in that particular race. She hasn’t been in quite the same form thus far this season, although she was second in the Tour of Flanders and third in Paris-Roubaix. Quieter performances in the Ardennes Classics reinforce the view that she isn’t in the same climbing shape as last summer, but the days ahead will be a better test of that.
Still, her pre-race comments suggest that she is still building and that this summer will be the real target.
“Of course, we’re aiming for the best possible result and want to win a stage,” the Frenchwoman said. “As a team, we’ll have to work well together to make that happen. I hope to play my part in that.
“Personally, I’m also here to make progress as a stage racer. Everything I do here is aimed at improving, with our main goal of the season in mind: the Tour de France Femmes.
“Just like last year, I want to show my very best level there.”
Can Van der Breggen rediscover her former magic?
A number of others will have their eyes on the general classification, including Anna van der Breggen. The Dutchwoman has two world championships and four Giro d’Italia Femminile to her credit, and is in the second year of her comeback to the sport after initially retiring at the end of 2021.
She had some solid performances last year, including victory on a stage plus third overall in the Vuelta, and should in theory be stronger after getting a full season under her belt. She certainly has been riding well this spring, including fourth in Liège, fifth in Flèche and second in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.
Team sports manager Danny Stam believes her experience will be key.
“Anna van der Breggen knows better than anyone how to ride a strong general classification,” he said. “Last year she finished third in the Vuelta, and we hope to match that result this season. The Angliru is an extremely difficult final climb, but with Anna, you never know.
“She had a strong Ardennes week and is clearly in good form. Of course, the competition will also be in top shape. It is difficult to predict exactly how things will unfold, but we hope to be able to compete with the very best for the overall classification with Anna.”
Others who could shine in the GC are Évita Muzic and FDJ United-Suez teammate Juliette Berthet, Amstel Gold Race winner Paula Blasi, her UAE Team ADQ teammate Mavi García, Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco), plus Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly).
Prospective stage winners including Lotte Kopecky and her Team SD Worx-Protime teammate Mischa Bredewold, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly), Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) plus Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech).
A savage final climb
The first four stages of the race are hilly, taking the riders over undulating terrain and favoring puncheurs and breakaway specialists. Day one covers 113.9km from Marín to Salvaterra de Miño, crossing two category three peaks plus other uncategorized climbs. Monday’s race is 109.8km from Lobios to San Cibrao das Viñas and while there are no official climbs, the roads are constantly undulating.
Stage three is again up and down throughout the 121.2km from Padrón to A Coruña, while Wednesday’s race continues that theme across the 115.6km between Monforte de Lemos and Antas de Ulla.
The sprinters have a more straightforward chance on stage five, with flatter roads between León and Astorga. However the respite is very much temporary; the first summit finish follows on Friday, coming at the end of a 106.5km race from Gijón to Les Praeres.Nava. This final climb is less than 4km long but is 20% in gradient in parts and ranked category one.
Next Saturday’s race from La Pola Llaviana to L’Angliru is far harder, with two category three climbs being followed by the more difficult Alto del Tenebredo and the staggeringly hard Angliru.
The latter is one of the most feared climbs in the sport and will ensure that the general classification is completely undecided until the final moments of the race.
La Vuelta Femenina:
Stage 1, Sunday May 3: Marín to Salvaterra de Miño, 113.9km
Stage 2, Monday May 4: Lobios to San Cibrao das Viñas, 109.8km
Stage 3, Tuesday May 5: Padrón to A Coruña, 121.2km
Stage 4, Wednesday May 6: Monforte de Lemos to Antas de Ulla, 115.6km
Stage 5, León to Astorga, 119.6km
Stage 6, Gijón/Xixón to Les Praeres.Nava, 106.5km
Stage 7, La Pola Llaviana to L’Angliru, 132.9km