Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) won stage 6 of La Vuelta Femenina, finishing atop the climb to La Laguna Negra.
The 24-year-old Frenchwoman was the only one who could follow the acceleration of red jersey Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) on the final kilometre of the climb and came around the GC leader on the last 50 metres to win the stage.
Vollering finished second and took more time on most of her GC rivals, extending her overall lead.
A breakaway of four was reeled in just before the intermediate sprint ahead of the finishing climb, and Muzic’s teammate Grace Brown set the pace until 3.8km from the finish. Vollering took over, reducing the size of the group of favourites further, before letting her teammate Marlen Reusser take a turn.
Paulina Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) made a strong attack but was closed down by Vollering, who then continued at a high pace into the final kilometre. With 600 metres to go, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) left a gap to Vollering, and Muzic jumped onto the red jersey’s wheel, making a last effort to come around to win the stage.
“I wasn’t 100% sure that I could do it. When I turned back and saw that I was the only one on Vollering’s wheel, I was just focusing on not getting dropped to pass her afterwards. I am very proud of what I have done because all the girls of my team did a really good job to keep me in the first positions and did a lead-out on the first part of the climb. They were amazing, so it’s also for them,” Muzic said.
“I often finish fourth, like in Flèche [Wallonne], yesterday, also last year in the two Vuelta climbing stages, and I really wanted one big victory. Now I have that, and I think I will also be confident in myself now. I always start the climb a bit far behind, but I always have the legs, and now I showed that to everyone. It will be hard for the GC victory, but I will try to gain more places, and why not one more victory,” Muzic was happy to win and move to sixth overall, 2:42 minutes behind Vollering.
How it unfolded
Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) did not start stage 6 after her crash the previous day, with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) also pulling out of the race due to illness.
It took almost 50km for a breakaway to be established as riders attacked and were brought back again. Eventually, Claudia San Justo (Eneicat-CM Team) and Laura Molenaar (VolkerWessels) were joined by Fauve Bastiaenssen (Lotto Dstny Ladies) and Aurela Nerlo (Winspace), and they were 3:45 minutes ahead with 60km to go on the 132.1-kilometre stage.
The peloton’s chase was interrupted by race leader Vollering having to take a toilet break with 42km to go, but a big effort from Visma-Lease a Bike brought back the break just before the intermediate sprint 17.2 km from the finish that was won by Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), further extending her lead in the points classification.
Lidl-Trek led the peloton into the finishing climb to La Laguna Negra, 6.5km with an average gradient of 6.8%, but climbing up to 14% in places. Brown took over and set the pace for the first half of the climb; when the Australian swung off, only 19 riders remained in the peloton.
Vollering led the group until the two-kilometre mark when her teammate Marlen Reusser took over, and several dropped riders managed to come back again. Rooijakkers launched her attack 1.8km from the line, immediately opening up a sizable gap, and Vollering had to push hard to close her down.
With 1.3km to go, only Vollering, Rooijakkers, Longo Borghini, Muzic, Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM), Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx-Protime), and Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Cannondale) remained together.
Kastelijn tried to attack, but Vollering apparently effortlessly increased the pace, letting Kastelijn’s move fizzle out just before the flamme rouge. Vollering kept on the pressure, and Longo Borghini moved into her wheel but could not keep up the pace and dropped back.
Muzic pushed hard to come back just before the 500-metre mark with a gap behind her to a trio that included Longo Borghini, Kastelijn, and Markus.
Muzic stayed on Vollering’s wheel before accelerating 75 metres from the line, coming around in the last 50 metres to win. Kastelijn finished third, 15 seconds down, with Markus fourth at 17 seconds and Longo Borghini and Bauernfeind at 21 seconds.
In GC, Markus kept her third place overall, 1:14 minutes behind Vollering, with Labous fourth overall at 1:38 minutes and Fisher-Black fifth at 2:16 minutes. Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) kept the polka-dot jersey, but Vollering now has the same number of mountain points with two first-category climbs still to come.
Results
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