It is time for the first Grand Tour of the season and a look at just who within the women’s peloton could step into the red jersey of the overall race leader at La Vuelta Femenina.
The Spanish race, which has been upping the ante in recent seasons – transforming from a one-day race into a tour across eight stages – has lost its three-time champion Annemiek van Vleuten. The retirement of the rider who had previously dominated means a new group of potential victors will be clamouring to make a mark, particularly those forced to stand on the lower steps right through the period where the race has included terrain that leans toward climbing strength.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), as Tour de France Femmes victor and the rider who also came close to unseating Van Vleuten in Spain in 2023, is the most obvious choice as race favourite but given she hasn’t had the same form on the run in this season will give her rivals a reason for hope.
Of course, those rivals will include a couple of strong options from Lidl-Trek to carry on with the season's trend. The 2022 runner-up Elisa Longo Borghini is firing, having claimed three wins already this season, including the Tour of Flanders, and has visited the podium seven times. The Italian champion could also have Gaia Realini by her side, delivering the team strength card that Lidl-Trek seems to play so well. Canyon-SRAM, too look set to line up with a formidable combination of riders, which could well help an in-form Kasia Niewiadoma become increasingly accustomed to the taste of victory.
There are plenty of other riders among those who are expected to line up – although confirmed start lists are yet to be released – who could also challenge for overall victory at the April 28 to May 5 event.
Cyclingnews takes a closer look at some of the riders to watch as the battle for red unfolds from the team trial through the Pyrenees to a showdown in the Sierras of Madrid.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)
Demi Vollering may not have gone into last year's La Vuelta Femenina with a GC mindset, but she soon acquired one after stepping into the red jersey after the first summit finish on stage 4. After losing the lead position on stage 6, partly due to an ill-timed nature break and crosswinds, revenge was on her mind. She took it in the form of victory on the final stage at Lagos de Covadonga, but while that effort may have meant the SD Worx clawed back a significant portion of the gap in the final stage, she still fell nine seconds short of the ultimate prize, the red jersey. This edition, however, is the chance to change that.
To add to that sense of unfinished business is an early season, which has been peppered with podiums, but perhaps not the step on them she was hoping for. Vollering came into La Vuelta Femenina on a tearing run last year, having already swept up five victories for the year, including Strade Bianche and all of the Ardennes Classics. This year she is yet to claim a victory, although that will likely change in the coming days.
The toughening of the route should play into Vollering's hands, with the addition of a third summit finish bound to be a boon for the rider who won both in last year's edition. Plus, even though her main rival may be out of the picture, there will be plenty of obstacles along the way to the stage 8 finish line at the top of the Valdesquí, with a number of old rivals and rising talents lining up and a big target on Vollering's back as the rider to beat.
Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek)
Lidl-Trek are once again lining up with an enviable mix of experience, new talent and a track-record as a team that knows how to pull together to win races. The Ardennes may not have gone exactly to plan, but as they move from the icy cold conditions to the more temperate climes of Spain, they have a team that has every chance of slotting right back into winning ways.
After a tough 2023, a rejuvenated Elisa Longo Borghini is leading the team's victory charge so far in 2024, and La Vuelta Femenina offers the chance to reignite the embers.
The Italian champion has stood on the overall podium of both the Giro d'Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina, with second in both 2020 and 2022 in Spain. This year could be her chance to finally make it to that top step, especially given the consistency she has shown so far this season, where she has rarely deviated from the top few spots on the results sheet.
What's more, Longo Borghini is expected to be lining up in a squad that also includes the 22-year-old Gaia Realini. On her debut at the Vuelta last year stood on the third step of the podium alongside Vollering and Van Vleuten after climbing up the ranks by delivering an impressive effort on the final stage, taking second as the only rider who was even close to being able to keep pace with Vollering.
The two-pronged attack from two former podium placers may be just what the team needs to make it to that top step.
Kasia Niewiadoma and Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM)
Last year's edition of the Vuelta was the race where Ricarda Bauernfeind gave notice of just what she was capable of, coming fifth overall just months into her first season in the Canyon-SRAM WorldTour team after having made the jump from the development squad. The German rider then quickly consolidated her position as a rider to watch by taking victory on stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes and finishing ninth overall. What's more, she has shown remarkable consistency in stage races, also finding the top ten last year at the Tour de Romandie Féminin and Tour of Scandinavia.
The 24-year-old alone is worthy of note as a rider who could be in with a podium chance in Spain, but this year she will also be joined by Kasia Niewiadoma at La Vuelta Femenina, delivering a formidable pairing for the race to spearhead the Canyon-SRAM charge.
Niewiadoma is on top, clearly in form and fresh from that much sought after win at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. That provided the best of lead in indications for a rider that, even when things aren't running so smoothly, doesn't seem to know how to deliver a bad GC result across the top Spanish, French and Italian tours. The rider from Poland has two podiums at the Tour de France Femmes, a second at the Giro d'Italia Women and 11 results within the top seven overall across her 12 participations at the three events. Niewiadoma doesn't have a podium at the Vuelta on her palmarès yet but with a powerful squad behind her – which also includes Neve Bradbury as a climbing asset – no step seems out of reach for her at this year's eight-stage race.
Mavi García (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
Mavi García has been in the top ten of this race and the Tour de France Femmes and also found her way onto the podium of Giro d'Italia Women in 2022. There are also a number of reasons to think that the Spanish rider could level up at this edition of the race.
For a start, the toughening parcours mean there are more days suited to the 40-year-old who this year made the shift to Liv-AlUla-Jayco with hopes of a resurgence. The UAE Tour was a good sign, with the rider coming third overall.
Add to that, the rider said she has "been feeling better than I did last year and, at this stage, I think I can do well in this race." That means a podium target doesn't seem unreasonable, particularly given the first stage should help her along the way.
Last year, the Australian-based squad perhaps didn't perform as well as they would have hoped in the team time trial, with one of their expected powerhouses, Georgie Howe, crashing early, but in eighth they were still two places ahead of García's old Liv Racing TeqFind team and will hope for more at this year's flat and fast time trial.
To start the Vuelta with an advantage could go a long way to help the Garcia continue into the mountains on the front foot.
Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich-PostNL)
In the last three years, Juliette Labous has been in the top ten in every edition of La Vuelta Femenina, Giro d'Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes she has completed.
Last year, she also finally broke through to the podium in Italy, taking second behind a dominant Annemiek van Vleuten. With that step up to a new level at the Giro, she'll now be aiming to do the same at the Vuelta, where she finished seventh last year.
"I have done a three-week altitude simulation camp over the last month, and I felt really good in training and recently in the races," said Labous. "We’ve worked a lot to improve my GC abilities, so I want to aim for a podium, and we will do everything we can to achieve that goal."
It won't be the only ambition for the team, with Charlotte Kool on board for the sprints; however, 19-year-old Nienke Vinke, who finished second at the Tour Down Under in January, could prove a handy ally on the climbs as she debuts at the race.
Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike)
It's hard not to fade into the background at a squad that includes Marianne Vos, but Riejanne Markus is one of those riders who can sway the spotlight from time to time.
The 29-year-old Dutch climber was actually just one spot off the podium at the 2023 edition of La Vuelta Femenina, knocked off the steps on the last stage by the impressive efforts on the final climb of Gaia Realini.
Markus is a rider who, like García, will be hoping to start with an advantage given her team took the top spot at the opening team time trial last year.
The addition of another climbing stage, however, may make it a little harder to chase the podium again given that while she may have fared reasonably on the summit finishes in the past, finishing seventh on both last year's mountain top finales, but they still provide an opportunity for the pure climbers to leapfrog the Dutch rider.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal)
AG Insurance-Soudal is heading into the Vuelta with an exciting mix of experience and rising talent this year – Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has the proven Grand Tour record, while Sarah Gigante has the promise.
The 23-year-old Australian started the new season with her new team in ideal fashion, claiming the top step of the overall podium at the Tour Down Under with a spectacular victory on Willunga Hill.
Now it's finally time to learn the ropes of the longer stage races, with a long-awaited debut at the Spanish race after years where injury, health and circumstance have curtailed her European racing.
Learning at the side of a rider who has taken second in the women's Giro d'Italia twice and also last year delivered sixth at the Tour de France Femmes in 2023 could provide not only a valuable stepping stone for Gigante but also a valuable ally for the seasoned South African.
Honorable mentions
- Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) came sixth in Spain last year and with a strong lead in, which included a fourth at La Flèche Wallonne, she looks to have every chance of delivering a powerful showing again in 2024.
- With defending champion Van Vleuten out, Liane Lippert – who came fourth at the race in 2022 – is an obvious replacement contender for Movistar but her form is a huge unknown given she is just returning from injury to start the season. Also look out for teammate Olivia Baril who has a mounting list of stage race top ten finishes.
- Ane Santesteban moved to Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi at the start of this season to help build the Spanish squad and it's hard to go beyond success at the home tour to get momentum rolling. The climber who finished sixth at the race in 2022 will have every incentive to go all out.
