Vollering's title defence, Ferrand-Prévot's return to Grand Tours and an intriguing TTT: Everything you need to know about La Vuelta Femenina

La Vuelta Femenina
Sunday 4 - Saturday 10 May
Spain

With the spring Classics complete, attention turns to stage racing, and Grand Tour racing more than anything else. It isn't the men's Giro d'Italia that kicks it off, but instead the women's Vuelta a España - La Vuelta Femenina. It started life as the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, but is now very much a stage race in its own right, in its third year proper.

Some of the best riders in the world will be in northern Spain challenging for the red jersey from Sunday, including Demi Vollering, Kasia Niewiadoma, and Marianne Vos among others.

Here are five things to look out for at the Grand Tour, as well as everything else you need to know about this race.

Five things to look out for at La Vuelta Femenina

TTT ahoy

For the fourth year in a row, the Vuelta Femenina begins with a team time trial, this time an 8km effort around Barcelona. It is unlikely to cause massive splits overall, but it will be interesting to see which teams put a lot of effort into the opening stage. The previous winners are Trek-Segafredo, Jumbo-Visma, and Lidl-Trek, so Trek will certainly be the ones to watch.

Northern Spain only

The seven-stage race cannot cover the entirety of Spain, so instead it is restricted very much to the north of the country - the furthest south the Vuelta goes is Sant Boi de Llobregat, just to the south of Barcelona in Catalunya. It then passes through Aragon and Castile and León before finishing in Asturias in the north west of the country.

Seven stages, not eight

After spending one year as an eight-stage race, the Vuelta Femenina drops back down to seven stages, from Sunday to Saturday, although it is now firmly in its May spot. However, there are a lot of tough stages packed into the week of action, so the woman on the top step of the podium on the Saturday will be deserving, especially given the tough summit finish on stage seven on the Alto de Cotobello.

Dutch dominance

Ever since the Vuelta became a proper stage race with climbs rather than just a one to three-stage event bolted onto the men’s race, it has been dominated by the Dutch. First by Annemiek van Vleuten, who won three in a row, before Demi Vollering took on that mantle last year. The latter will certainly be the favourite once again this year, but with her new FDJ-Suez team. Can another nationality upset the odds?

The longest day

Stage seven is the toughest stage of the race, mainly thanks to the finish at Alto de Cotobello - see boxout - but also due to it being the longest day ever raced at the Vuelta Femenina’s short history. It’s far from the longest stage ever at a women’s Grand Tour - the Tour de France Femmes has twice passed 170km, but it is a milestone in Spain.

Focus on: Alto de Cotobello

Coming at the end of the longest stage, this climb will surely decide the winner of the race, which is fitting as it will be the last thing the riders do.

Will it be more triumph for Vollering, or heartbreak as happened when she won the final stage to Lagos de Covadonga in 2023? It’s 9.8km at 8%, but with ramps up to 10%, so a tasty 800m of elevation in under 10km, not for the faint hearted.

Where can I watch La Vuelta Femenina

It is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or a Discovery+ subscription. Read more in our how to watch La Vuelta Femenina guide.

Last year's La Vuelta Femenina podium

1. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)
2. Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike)
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

Riders to watch at La Vuelta Femenina

Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) *****

The Dutchwoman comes as the defending champion, but with a new team - FDJ-Suez - to support her. She has already won a Spanish stage race this season, Valenciana, and has a history of dominating them - she also won the Vuelta a Burgos and Itzulia last season in a golden May. Vollering will be the most-marked rider in the bunch.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) ****

The Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner comes into her first big test, her first women’s Grand Tour since she rode the Giro d’Italia in 2015, when she finished sixth overall and second on youth classification. Now 33, Ferrand-Prévot will be using the Vuelta as another step on the road to Tour de France Femmes glory.

Kristin Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) ***

A stage winner at last year’s race, the Olympic champion is a threat in many different kinds of stages, especially ones she can spring a sprint-beating attack on. She will be part of a strong EF team which has a solid history at the women’s Vuelta, and will hope to do well overall as well.

Liane Lippert (Movistar) ***

Fifth overall at Valenciana earlier this year, Lippert is a puncheur who can really have her say on the harder days, if the high mountains might be a bit too much of a test for her. The 27-year-old will be one of the totems of a Movistar team looking for glory at its home race. If Cat Ferguson rides, watch out for the Brit in the sprints.

Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) ***

Muzic’s second breakout ride came at last year’s Vuelta, when she won stage six ahead of Vollering. Now teammates, the 25-year-old is likely to ride more of a support role, both for Vollering and Juliette Labous. However, on the steep finishes of stages five and seven, Muzic could be given her own chance to claim glory.