Vos breaks collarbone; race leader Rüegg forced to abandon crash-marred opening stages of La Vuelta Femenina

MArianne Vos at Amstel Gold in 2026 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Two hectic first days at La Vuelta Femenina saw multiple crashes reshape the race, with stage-win-contender Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and first race leader Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) both forced to abandon due to injury.

Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed Monday morning that Vos would not start Stage 2 after suffering a broken collarbone in a crash late in the opening stage. The incident occurred inside the final 10 kilometres on slick roads, where a split in the peloton caught out the former world champion.

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The injury marks at least the fourth time Vos has fractured her collarbone. Previous incidents include crashes at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2018, the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in 2017 and the Valkenburg Hills Classic in 2012.

Noemi Ruegg at La Vuelta Feminina in 2026

Visma - Lease a Bike wasn’t the only team affected. Stage 2 brought further upheaval as Rüegg, who had claimed victory and the overall lead in Stage 1, was forced to abandon following a crash with 12 kilometres remaining. The EF Education-Oatly rider appeared to touch wheels with Eleonora Ciabocco (Team Picnic-PostNL) before crashing hard. Both riders required immediate medical attention, but the extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.

Rüegg had taken the leader’s jersey after winning the opening stage in Salvaterra de Miño, outsprinting Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx - Protime). At the time, Rüegg described the victory as "just a dream" and credited her team’s belief, saying they had more confidence in the plan than she did herself.

Following her abandonment, the race lead passed to Paris-Roubaix winner, Franziska Koch, who moved into the overall lead after finishing second on Stage 2.

La Vuelta Femenina consists of seven stages this year, ending on Friday, May 8th, at the top of the feared L'Angliru climb.

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Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.