After the exciting classics season, the stage race calendar opens with a month of May full of events. For the women's calendar, it begins with the 11th Vuelta Espana Femenina by Carrefour, a race that has become the third grand tour of the season year after year. From May 4th to 10th, the athletes will cover a total of 750.8 km competing in 7 stages (one less than last year), all concentrated in northern Spain, featuring time trials, sprints, and especially mountain finishes where the battle among the general classification contenders will likely unfold. Will Demi Vollering manage to repeat last year's success?

The race starts in Barcelona with a team time trial of just 8.1 km without any significant elevation, which will be a great challenge among the top teams to try and wear the first red jersey. The first road stage is very suitable for fast wheels, but beware of the many potential pitfalls like echelons. After departing from Molins De Rei, the road will immediately start climbing towards Alt de la Creu De l'Aragal, a second-category climb that will award the first mountain jersey. Then a continuous up and down before a steep descent that will bring the group to Grava, where they'll face the final 10 km, almost completely flat until Sant Boi de Lloregata. After a third stage that seems to favor attackers, in the fourth day of racing it will be crucial to be prepared: from the initial kilometers, the road will be slightly uphill until Alto de Moncayo positioned after 60 km, which will certainly thin out the group, a taste before the Puerto de El Buste (3rd category GPM), which with its strategic position 10 km from the finish could take some general classification contenders out of the race.

The fifth stage will be entirely above 1000 m and will feature the first mountain finish of the race; starting from Golmayo with a varied start without too many difficulties, but at kilometer 98 is positioned the summit of Alto de Rozavientos, a 4 km climb classified as second category with averages over 8%. After a quick descent, what remains of the group will face the final climb towards the 1857 m of Lagunas de Neila (the highest point reached by the race), which is 6.8 km long with averages approaching 9%. The sixth stage from Becerril de Campos to Baltanas will be the last opportunity for sprinters before the final mountain stage that could completely redraw the general classification. The start is uphill from La Robla and after a long descent, the trio of climbs begins with Alto de la Colladona (2nd category, 5.5 km at 7.45%), Alto de la Colladiella (1st category, 6.4 km at 8.2% with peaks of 14%) and finally the big finish at Alto de Cotobello, a 10.3 km climb at 8% that will crown the winner of the Roja.

The Most Anticipated Athletes

Between the old one-day race format (first 3 editions) and the stage race, the honor roll is dominated by the Netherlands, which has won the last 4 editions. The reigning queen Demi Vollering carries all the favorites with a tremendous FDJ Suez and her trusted teammates Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic. We've already seen them powerfully in action in the Ardennes, the result didn't come, so they will certainly want to make amends. The number one rival is definitely Kasia Newiadoma (Canyon Sram), the reigning Tour winner and now a declared rival of the Dutch rider, who can count on the support of the talented Neve Bradbury (white jersey at the Giro and potential second leader) and Chloe Dygert, who will be crucial not only for intermediate stages but especially for the opening team time trial. The Vuelta will also be an opportunity to see Anna Van Der Breggen testing herself in a grand tour after four years, with Sd Worx presenting a fierce team that promises sparks. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) has explicitly stated that she is focusing everything on the Vuelta and deliberately skipped the classics, the same applies to Mavi Garcia (Liv Alula Jayco) who is racing at home and has spent a long period at altitude to prepare herself at best, the Majorcan will be accompanied by Monica Trinca Colonel, a luxury lieutenant but also another option for the general classification.

With many mountains awaiting the group, we cannot fail to mention Niamh Fisher Black (Lidl Trek), Thalita de Jong and Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), PicNic Postnl with Eleonora Ciabocco and Nienke Vinke, Justine Ghekiere and Ashleigh Moolman of Ag Insurance, Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa), Elisa Valtulini (Be Pink Imatra Bongioanni), Erica Magnaldi (Uae Team Adq).

Two days will be dedicated to sprinters, with all eyes on the fast wheels like Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma Lease a Bike), Emma Norsgaard (Lidl Trek), Cat Ferguson (Movistar Team), Martina Alzini (Cofidis), Letizia Paternoster (Liv Alula Jeyco), Sara Roy (EF Education Oatly), Arianna Fidanza and Laura Tomasi (Laboral Kutxa), Silvia Zanardi (Human Powered Health).

The recent classics season has already shown us a more open and spectacular women's cycling, which is why it will be very interesting to keep an eye on the intermediate stages that could favor some attackers and outsiders. Among the many present, we highlight Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education Oatly) coming out of the Ardennes with incredible form, along with teammates Letizia Borghesi and Kristen Faulkner, Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Visma Lease a Bike), Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), Elizabeth Deignan and Ellen Van Dijk (Lidl Trek) and the powerhouse Fenix Deceuninck with Yara Kastellin and Pauliena Rooijakkers. This is a first grand tour with a super start list, and while on paper it seems to be everyone against Demi Vollering, it looks like there could be some big surprises.

Stage List

- 1st stage: Barcelona - Barcelona (8.1 km) – team time trial

- 2nd stage: Molins de Rei - Sant Boi de Llobregat (99 km)

- 3rd stage: Barbastro – Huesca (132.4 km)

- 4th stage: Pedrola – Borja (111.6 km)

- 5th stage: Golmayo – Lagunas de Neila (120.4 km)

- 6th stage: Becerril de Campos – Baltanas (126.7 km)

- 7th stage: La Robla – Alto de Cotobello Asturias (152.6 km)

START LIST

FDJ - SUEZ
1. VOLLERING Demi
2. LABOUS Juliette
3. MUZIC Évita
4. ADEGEEST Loes
5. GUAZZINI Vittoria
6. WOLLASTON Ally
7. LE NET Marie

Team SD Worx - Protime
11. VAN DER BREGGEN Anna
12. BREDEWOLD Mischa
13. CECCHINI Elena
14. GERRITSE Femke
15. HARVEY Mikayla
16. MARKUS Femke
17. VAN BELLE Lisa

UAE Team ADQ
21. MAGNALDI Erica
22. GILLESPIE Lara
23. HOLDEN Elizabeth
24. IVANCHENKO Alena
25. MARTURANO Greta
26. SQUIBAN Maeva

Lidl - Trek
31. NORSGAARD Emma
32. DEIGNAN Elizabeth
33. FISHER-BLACK Niamh
34. HENDERSON Anna
35. MARKUS Riejanne
36. VAN DIJK Ellen
37. VAN ANROOIJ Shirin

EF Education-Oatly
41. KERBAOL Cédrine
42. BORGHESI Letizia
43. CHRISTIE Henrietta
44. FAULKNER Kristen
45. ROY Sarah
46. VALLIERES Magdeleine
47. VAN DER WOLF Babette

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto
51. BRADBURY Neve
52. CZAPLA Justyna
53. DYGERT Chloé
54. KOLESAVA Anastasiya
55. NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
56. SKALNIAK-SÓJKA Agnieszka
57. VAN DER DUIN Maike

Liv AlUla Jayco
61. GARCÍA Mavi
62. BAKER Georgia
63. KOREVAAR Jeanne
64. PATE Amber
65. TALBOT Josie
66. TRINCA COLONEL Monica
67. PATERNOSTER Letizia

Fenix-Deceuninck
71. KASTELIJN Yara
72. ALVARADO Ceylin del Carmen
73. COUZENS Millie
74. PERKINS Flora
75. ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena
76. SCHREMPF Carina
77. VAN ALPHEN Aniek

Team Visma | Lease a Bike
81. VOS Marianne
82. FERRAND-PRÉVOT Pauline
83. DE VRIES Femke
84. BUNEL Marion
85. OUDEMAN Maud
86. CHLADOŇOVÁ Viktória
87. WOLFF Imogen

Uno-X Mobility
91. AALERUD Katrine
92. ANDERSEN Susanne
93. ANDERSON Solbjørk Minke
94. GÅSKJENN Ingvild
95. KOSTER Anouska
96. OTTESTAD Mie Bjørndal
97. ZANETTI Linda

Movistar Team
101. BARIL Olivia
102. FERGUSON Cat
103. MAGALHÃES Ana Vitória
104. LIPPERT Liane
105. MARTÍN Sara
106. MEIJERING Mareille
107. REUSSER Marlen

AG Insurance - Soudal Team
111. MOOLMAN Ashleigh
112. BENITO Mireia
113. BORGSTRÖM Julia
114. GHEKIERE Justine
115. GOOSSENS Marthe
116. STEIGENGA Nicole
117. VAN DE VELDE Julie

Human Powered Health
121. DE JONG Thalita
122. KASPER Romy
123. MALCOTTI Barbara
124. MITTERWALLNER Mona
125. RAAIJMAKERS Marit
126. WILLIAMS Lily
127. ZANARDI Silvia

Team Picnic PostNL
131. VINKE Nienke
132. CIABOCCO Eleonora
133. GEORGI Pfeiffer
134. JASTRAB Megan
135. KOCH Franziska
136. NELSON Josie
137. ROLDAN Mara

Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi
141. SANTESTEBAN Ane
142. BIRIUKOVA Yuliia
143. FIDANZA Arianna
144. OSTOLAZA Usoa
145. SILVESTRI Debora
146. TERUEL Alba
147. TOMASI Laura

Arkéa - B&B Hotels Women
151. CAVALLAR Valentina
152. ASENCIO Laura
153. COLJÉ Maaike
154. DRUMMOND Michaela
155. FAHLIN Emilia
156. RYO Titia
157. TRÉGOUËT Maurène

Cofidis Women Team
161. ALZINI Martina
162. BORRAS Marion
163. BUJAK Eugenia
164. DIDERIKSEN Amalie
165. KERN Špela
166. KOPPENBURG Clara
167. NOSKOVÁ Nikola

Team Coop - Repsol
171. DALE Stine
172. GRANGIER India
173. JØRGENSEN Tiril
174. KAGEVI Stina
175. LIND Magdalene
176. SANDER Laura Lizette
177. TUISK Aidi Gerde

BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni
181. JENČUŠOVÁ Nora
182. CASAGRANDA Andrea
183. GARAU Marina
184. LAPORTA Linda
185. SCHWEIKART Aileen
186. UITERWIJK WINKEL Meike
187. VALTULINI Elisa

Eneicat - CMTeam
191. GILABERT Ariana
192. ALBERT Ainara
193. ALZATE Andrea
194. CAMPOS Daniela
195. LONDOÑO Angie Mariana
196. SAN JUSTO Claudia
197. STEINMETZ Nicole