Uphill success for Demi Vollering
May 5 th 2023 - 15:48 [GMT + 2]
SD Worx’s Demi Vollering won the 5th stage of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es by being the strongest uphill and overwhelming her contenders in the final climb to the Mirador de Peñas Llanas in Riaza. The Dutch rider was part of the 25-strong group that was formed at the head of the race during the Puerto de Navafria and outpowered Movistar Team’s Annemiek van Vleuten and Canyon//SRAM’s Ricarda Bauernfeind in the final two kilometres of the stage to claim her sixth victory of the season – and the Red jersey as new GC leader. The Vuelta Femenina peloton heads North now to race the final two stages in Cantabria and Asturias, where the Lagos de Covadonga will put an end to what is turning out to be an exciting event.
146 riders took the start in the 5th stage of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, which covered 129,2 kilometres between La Cabrera and the Mirador de Peñas Llanas in Riaza, at 11:53. Four DNSs: Nina Kessler (Team Jayco AlUla), Roxane Fournier (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), Sofia Collinelli (Israel Premier Tech-Roland) and Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi). It took 30 kilometres for a group of six to go clear. Sara Poidevin (EF Education-Tibco-SVB), Quinty Ton (Liv Racing – TeqFind), Simone Boilard (St Michel – Mavic – Auber93), Isabel Martín (Eneicat – CM Team), Adéle Normand (Massi – Tactic) and Susana Perez (Cantabria Deporte-Rio Miera) built a small gap on the bunch, clocked at 28” at the base of the Puerto de Navafria (cat 1, km 53,7).
Selection in Navafria
Navafria, an 11,5-kilometre climb at an average gradient of 5,8%, posed one of the toughest challenges to the riders participating in La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es. FDJ-SUEZ took the helm to catch the break and whittle down the bunch, reducing it to 21 riders: Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team), Niahm Fisher-Black, Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering (SD Worx), Gaia Realini, Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo), Ricarda Bauernfeind, Elise Chabbey, Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM), Loes Adegeest, Marta Cavalli, Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ), Olivia Baril, Alena Ivanchenko, Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Juliette Labous, Esmee Peperkamp (Team DSM), Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma), Kristen Faulkner, Ane Santesteban (Jayco-AlUla) and Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing-TeqFind). Red jersey wearer Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) fell out of contention and rode across the Puerto de Navafria (cat 1, km 53,7) summit 3’30” behind the front group. Chabbey was first atop the climb, strengthening her position as leader of the QOM classification.
Unsuccessful yet threatening chase by the Red jersey group
After the downhill from Navafria, Kasia Niewiadoma, Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon//SRAM), Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) and Elise Uijen (Team DSM) linked back to the front group. Fisher-Black crashed with 35 kilometres to go and dropped back to the Red jersey group, where Movistar Team led the operations while Team DSM, Canyon//SRAM and UAE Team ADQ set the pace at the head of the race. The gap between the front group and the chasing bunch went down to 50” with 15 kilometres to go.
Onto the deciding final climb
Markus led the front group through Riaza (IS, km 123,4), where the Red jersey group was 28” behind the head of the race. Realini set the pace in the first half of the climb to the Mirador de Peñas Llanas in Riaza (cat 2). Vollering took over from the Italian rider with 2 kilometers to go and further reduced the number of women in contention to five: her, Van Vleuten, Bauernfeind, Muzic and the aforementioned Realini. Van Vleuten tried to surprise Vollering with an attack launched at 300 meters to go, yet the SD Worx rider wasn’t impressed and overtook the current world champion to claim an outstanding victory.
