{"id":14528,"date":"2026-04-30T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/14528\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:00:25","slug":"la-vuelta-femenina-2026-preview-who-can-capitalise-on-demi-vollerings-absence-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/14528\/","title":{"rendered":"La Vuelta Femenina 2026 Preview: Who can capitalise on Demi Vollering’s absence in Spain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The spring classics are done. While the men turn their attention to the Giro d’Italia, the women’s peloton heads to north-west Spain for La Vuelta Femenina. Over seven stages, a successor to Demi Vollering<\/a> will be crowned. IDL Pro Cycling brings you everything you need to know.A brief history of\u00a0La Vuelta FemeninaLa Vuelta Femenina<\/a> was born in 2015 as a one-day race. It stayed in that format until 2017, before expanding to two stages \u2014 a time trial and a criterium. A road stage was added in 2020, another in 2021, and by 2022 the race had grown to five stages. From 2023, it moved to a dedicated May slot on the calendar and extended to seven stages. That became eight in 2024, then back to seven in 2025. This year: seven stages again.<\/p>\n

The last two editions belonged to Vollering. Before her, Annemiek van Vleuten won three in a row from 2021 to 2023. Ellen van Dijk (2018) and Jolien D’hoore (2016, 2017) show this race is one that is often dominated by Dutch riders. Will the trend continue in 2026?<\/p>\n

Recent\u00a0 winners La Vuelta Femenina<\/p>\n

2025 Demi Vollering<\/p>\n

2024 Demi Vollering
2023 Annemiek van Vleuten
2022 Annemiek van Vleuten
2021 Annemiek van Vleuten
2020 Lisa Brennauer
2019 Lisa Brennauer
2018 Ellen van Dijk
2017 Jolien D’hoore
2016 Jolien D’hoore
\u00a0La Vuelta Femenina 2026:\u00a0Stages, favourites and start timesStage 1, Sunday, May 3: Mar\u00edn – Salvaterra de Mi\u00f1o (113.9 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-1\"\/<\/p>\n

The race starts in Mar\u00edn, just north of Vigo. Two third-category climbs feature along the way, though the day is rolling throughout. After 113.9 km, the riders arrive in Salvaterra de Mi\u00f1o for an uphill sprint finish.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)<\/p>\n

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 11:35 a.m.
Finish: around 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 2, Monday, May 4: Lobios – San Cibrao das Vi\u00f1as (109.8 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-2\"\/<\/p>\n

No categorised climbs, but the road is never flat. The route rises from the very start in Lobios, and the finale has bite: a two-kilometre ramp at 5.5% ends just before the final kilometre, which is flat.<\/p>\n

Favorites<\/p>\n

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Liane Lippert (Movistar)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 2:17 p.m.
Finish: around 5:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 3, Tuesday, May 5: Padr\u00f3n – A Coru\u00f1a (121.2 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-3\"\/<\/p>\n

The riders head north to A Coru\u00f1a, where a tricky finale awaits. The route is hilly without being genuinely mountainous. Short, sharp climbs in the finale could invite attacks.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 2:04 p.m.
Finish: around 5:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 4, Wednesday, May 6: Monforte de Lemos – Antas de Ulla (115.6 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-4\"\/<\/p>\n

Two more third-category climbs, and the usual relentless Galician up-and-down. The final kilometre rises slightly to the finish. Look out for the Classics specialists to do well on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Favorites<\/p>\n

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Liane Lippert (Movistar)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 2:18 p.m.
Finish: 5:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 5, Thursday, May 7: Le\u00f3n – Astorga (119.6 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-5\"\/<\/p>\n

The riders spend much of the day on a plateau. By Galician standards, the climbing is minimal, and the finish is almost entirely flat \u2014 except for a slight rise in the final 300 metres. Timing will be everything.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Agnieszka Skalniak-S\u00f3kja (Canyon\/\/SRAM Sundacrypto)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 2:16 p.m.
Finish: around 5:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 6, Friday, May 8: Gij\u00f3n – Les Praeres. Nava (106.5 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-6\"\/<\/p>\n

The GC contenders have had to wait, but Friday finally delivers. The race heads south from Gij\u00f3n to a summit finish at Les Praeres \u2014 not long, but brutal: just under four kilometres at an average of 12.6%.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Juliette Berthet (FDJ-SUEZ United)
Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a> (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Anna van der Breggen<\/a> (SD Worx-Protime)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 2:53 p.m.
Finish: around 5:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

Stage 7, Saturday, May 9: La Pola Llaviana – L’Angliru (132.9 km)\"vuelta-femenina-etappe-7\"\/<\/p>\n

The organisers have saved the best for last. Three climbs precede the finale \u2014 then the Angliru: 12.1 km at an average of 10.3%, one of the most feared ascents in all of cycling. The entire race could be decided on this climb, so make sure to watch on Saturday lunchtime.<\/p>\n

Favorites
Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Kasia Niewiadoma<\/a> (Canyon\/\/SRAM sinacrypto)
Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)<\/p>\n

Times
Start: 10:36 a.m.
Finish: around 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

La Vuelta Femenina 2026 GC Favourites<\/p>\n

Vollering will not be on the start line in Galicia. The two-time defending champion is taking extra rest after a busy and successful spring, leaving FDJ-SUEZ United to count on Juliette Berthet \u2014 fifth overall last year. The Frenchwoman gets to race for herself, with \u00c9vita Muzic \u2014 a stage winner here in 2024 \u2014 as support.<\/p>\n

France is well represented. Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a>, the reigning Tour de France Femmes champion, also lines up, with Femke de Vries \u2014 third at the UAE Tour \u2014 alongside her. Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has yet to win in 2026, but has put together a string of strong results. Much the same can be said of Kasia Niewiadoma, leader of Canyon\/\/SRAM zondacrypto and 2024 Tour winner.UAE Team ADQ have three options to consider. Mavi Garc\u00eda looks the most likely card to play, but Paula Blasi and Karlijn Swinkels add genuine depth. The picture at SD Worx-Protime is clearer: Anna van der Breggen<\/a> is the designated leader. The 35-year-old has shown excellent form through the spring and will be highly motivated on the climbs.<\/p>\n

Urska Zigart and Sarah Gigante \u2014 riding her first race since a serious leg fracture last year \u2014 are dangerous outsiders for AG Insurance-Soudal. Liv AlUla Jayco will look to Monica Trinca Coronel, who finished second at the UAE Tour earlier this year, along with Ella Wyllie, 12th at last year’s Tour.<\/p>\n

Further down the pecking order, watch for Lore De Schepper (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Movistar’s Mareille Meijer.<\/p>\n

IDL Pro Cycling La Vuelta Femenina 2026 top picks<\/p>\n

Top favorites: Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon\/\/SRAM zondacrypto)
Outsiders: Juliette Berthet (FDJ-SUEZ United) Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)
Long shots: \u00c9vita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ United), Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike), Urska Zigart (AG Insurance-Soudal), Monica Trinca Coronel (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Mareille Meijer (Movistar)<\/p>\n

How to watch\u00a0La Vuelta Femenina 2026 on TV?<\/p>\n

Below you can find where to watchLa Vuelta Femenina on TV in English:<\/p>\n

United Kingdom – HBO Max now carries all of the UK cycling coverage. USA – You will need a subscription to Peacock to watch the racing in the USA.Canada – FloBikes carries the stream for Canadian fans. Again you will need a subscriptionAustralia -Australian fans can watch both the men’s and women’s races for free on\u00a0SBS on DemandIn Europe, viewers can catch all the action on Eurosport<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The spring classics are done. While the men turn their attention to the Giro d’Italia, the women’s peloton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8576,320,8574,8575,8577,17,8178],"class_list":{"0":"post-14528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-anna-van-der-breggen","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-demi-vollering","11":"tag-kasia-niewiadoma","12":"tag-pauline-ferrand-prevot","13":"tag-spain","14":"tag-womens-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}