
Anna van der Breggen returns to success four years after her victory at the 2021 Giro d'Italia, winning the fourth stage of the Vuelta Espana 2025 in Borja, where she arrived solo with raised arms after an attack launched with 6 kilometers to go. The 35-year-old Dutch rider from SD Worx crossed the finish line with a 12" advantage over Marianne Vos (Visma Lease a Bike) and Demi Vollering (FDJ - SUEZ), who finished in that order. In fourth place was Monica Trinca Colonel, the 25-year-old from Liv Alula Jayco, the best Italian at the end of the 111-kilometer race.
In the general classification, Femke Gerritse still leads, ahead of Van der Breggen by 4", Vos by 10" and Vollering by 21"
One hundred thirty-seven athletes started from km0 in Pedrola, while five did not take the start: Laura Tomasi, although present at the starting lineup, decided not to begin the stage due to the aftermath of yesterday's crash. A crash cost Laura Asencio (Arkea) a collarbone fracture and caused many abrasions to the 23-year-old Austrian Mona Mitterwallner, who was forced to withdraw along with her compatriot Carina Schrempf and Greta Marturano.
Several breakaway attempts were made by riders in the first part of the race. Young riders Andrea Casagranda and Linda Laporta (BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), British rider Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL), India Grangier (Team Coop - Repsol) and other athletes tried to break away. The group then came back together until the foot of Alto del Moncayo, the day's first difficulty, where Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) attacked first, and subsequently Justine Ghekiere, with the spirited Belgian crossing the climb ahead of Muzic and Magnaldi.
The peloton regrouped on the descent and in Novallas, where the organizers placed the Intermediate Sprint with time bonuses, the red jersey Femke Gerritse (Team SD Worx - Protime) sprinted ahead of her compatriots Demi Vollering (Fdj Suez) and Marianne Vos (Visma Lease a Bike).
About twenty kilometers from the finish - at the foot of Puerto de El Buste - Fdj Suez, Movistar and Uno X kept the pace high, selecting the group from which several riders dropped, including the climbing leader Ane Santesteban and the first red jersey of Vuelta 2025 Ellen van Dijk. At the top of the day's final difficulty, Evita Muzic, Demi Vollering, and the German Liane Lippert, fresh from renewing with Movistar, passed in that order.
On the following descent, Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) attacked along with a group of about twenty other riders, including Van der Breggen, Bredewold, Vollering, Niewiadoma, and Vos. The two-time world champion, captain of SD Worx Protime, attacked five kilometers from the finish, forcing the other classification riders to chase.
FINISH ORDER
1 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna Team SD Worx - Protime 02:49:55
2 VOS Marianne Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:12
3 VOLLERING Demi FDJ - SUEZ ,,
4 TRINCA COLONEL Monica Liv AlUla Jayco ,,
5 KERBAOL Cédrine EF Education-Oatly ,,
6 LIPPERT Liane Movistar Team ,,
7 GERRITSE Femke Team SD Worx - Protime ,,
8 REUSSER Marlen Movistar Team ,,
9 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto ,,
10 MARKUS Riejanne Lidl - Trek