The Spring Classics are officially done, and the first Grand Tour on the women's international calendar is upon us as the peloton lineup at 2024 Vuelta Femenina from April 28 to May 5.
Although there is limited time to transition between the two very different styles of racing, many of the main contenders for the Vuelta have already been preparing in between one-day races this spring at altitude training camps to help build the strength and stamina needed for the higher mountains and back-to-back race days.
Cyclingnews highlights some of the main talking points ahead of the eight-day race.
Join Cyclingnews for coverage of the 2024 La Vuelta Femenina, and check in after each race for our full report, results, gallery, news and features.
Demi Vollering's first stage racing test
Demi Vollering heads into La Vuelta Femenina as the big favourite, and it will be the first major test of her stage racing targets. She has had a slower start to the season with speculation that that may have been planned so that she is fresher for big races later in the year.
She has only competed in one-day races so far this spring, and although she hasn't won a race yet, she has finished on the podium in four major events: Strade Bianche, Brabantse Pijl, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
This means that while she may not be in her best form, yet, and that she is on an upward trajectory as the peloton heads into stage racing season.
Last year, Vollering won two stages on the uphill into Mirador de Peñas Llanas and atop Lagos de Covadonga, but she was nine seconds shy of taking the overall won by now-retired Annemiek van Vleuten.
Vollering went on to win the Tour de France Femmes last year, but she has not yet won the overall titles at the Giro d'Italia or the La Vuelta, which are undoubtedly two other Grand Tour career goals.
The longer climbs of La Vuelta Femenina will cater to her strengths, especially after her early-season altitude training camp, and with a stage in the Pyrenees, and three mountaintop summit finishes, Vollering could turn a podium into a victory this year.
A rare team time trial
La Vuelta Femenina has been increased to eight stages and will once again begin with a team time trial, this time in Valencia.
The team time trial is becoming increasingly rare in women's racing, outside of the mixed team relay at the European and World Championships. No other event currently hosts this discipline on the Women's WorldTour, although there are a couple of late-season events that have not announced routes.
La Vuelta's opening team time trial will include a flat 16km, out-and-back, that will favour the most powerful teams, and with the event's first leader's jersey on the line, it is an important stage.
Due to the lack of team time trials throughout the season, some teams might not have placed an emphasis on training specifically for this discipline, while others will have fine-tuned their equipment, team cohesion, technique and strength.
Look for teams like Lidl-Trek, SD Worx-Protime, Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, and last year's TTT winners Visma-Lease a Bike to be among those in contention for the stage win.
No Van Vleuten, but a lot of competition
Last year's champion, Annemiek van Vleuten, is now retired, and while her absence will have left a void in the peloton, there is more depth in the field this year than ever before.
If the Women's WorldTour racing so far is any indication, there hasn't been one dominant rider or team throughout the first four months of racing.
There have been five wins from SD Worx-Protime between Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, three wins from Visma-Lease a Bike between Marianne Vos and Rosita Reijnhout, three wins from Lidl-Trek between Elisa Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini, and a win apiece from AG Insurance-Soudal's Sarah Gigante, Canyon-Sram's Kasia Niewiadoma and FDJ-Suez's Grace Brown.
La Vuelta Femenina offers eight stages that will suit a range of strengths and abilities, and it is unlikely that one rider or team will dominate the racing.
Indeed, several riders are in contention to win this year's overall title at La Vuelta Femenina, and Cyclingnews highlights the riders to watch.
Living up to expectations
The growth of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es may have been slow at first, starting out as a one-day race in 2015 but organisers have gradually built upon its foundation each year.
The race moved to a multi-day format with two stages in 2018 and a three-day race in 2020. Organisers added a stage in each subsequent edition until it reached seven-day race in 2023, and many believe was Grand Tour level on the women's calendar as rivalling the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d'Italia Women.
Organisers haven't stopped there, adding an eighth stage for its 10th edition this year, and while it will not showcase Lagos de Covadonga, the peloton will tackle the significant ascent across the final four days of racing.
Three mountaintop finishes, all previously featured in men’s events, are likely to define the overall standings: Fuerte Rapitán on stage 5, Laguna Negra de Vinuesa on stage 6, and Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid on stage 8.
Cyclingnews highlights the full route details of 2024 La Vuelta Femenina.
