La Vuelta Femenina 2026: Blasi shines on the Angliru

Seven days across the north-west

The fourth edition of La Vuelta Femenina, held from 3 to 9 May, stayed entirely in Spain's north-west: four stages in Galicia, one in Castile and León and a double crescendo in Asturias. In all, seven stages and 819.5 kilometres, starting from Marín in Galicia.

Van der Breggen strikes at Les Praeres

On day six, Anna van der Breggen won the first summit finish on the wall of Les Praeres de Nava (nearly four kilometres at an average of 13.5%, ramping up to 27%) and took the leader's jersey. Everything would be decided on the final day, on a finish the cycling world had been talking about for weeks.

History on the Angliru

For the first time in history, the women's race finished atop the Alto de l'Angliru: 12.5 kilometres at an average of 10%, with ramps of up to 23%. That climb flipped the race: 21-year-old Spaniard Paula Blasi distanced everyone who could still deny her the overall in the final kilometres, taking the red jersey and the mountains classification. Van der Breggen fell 24 seconds short, and French prodigy Marion Bunel completed the podium at 49 seconds.

Blasi's breakthrough was no fluke: later that season she also finished fifth at the Tour de France Femmes. The Giro d'Italia Women was won by Demi Vollering three weeks after the Vuelta.