Lidl-Trek and Ellen van Dijk triumph in Barcelona

May 4 ^th 2025 - 14:27 [GMT + 2]

May 4th is Mother’s Day in Spain, and a mother did triumph indeed in the opening team time trial of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es. Lidl-Trek produced an excellent effort in the streets of Barcelona to win the stage and dress three-time ITT world champion Ellen van Dijk in La Roja, the red GC leader jersey. It’s the second consecutive victory for the American team in the inaugural TTT of this event, following last year’s success in Torrevieja. SD Worx-Protime and Liv-AlUla-Jayco were just three seconds shy of defeating their winning time as gaps were quite narrow, with the top ten teams in the standings separated by just 20 seconds and no overall favorite falling out of contention. The Spanish Grand Tour will continue tomorrow with a 99-kilometre rolling stage between Molins de Rei and Sant Boi de Llobregat that is expected to come down to a bunch sprint.

144 riders spread over 21 teams took the start in the 1st stage of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es, which began with a 8,1-kilometre team time trial in Barcelona. There were two non-starters: UAE Team ADQ’s Brodie Chapman and AG Insurance-Soudal’s Mireia Benito, both sick. Lotto Ladies was the first team on the start ramp in front of the iconic Casa Milà at 12:51 CEST, and also the first one through the finish line clocking a 10’07” time that was soon bested by Cofidis, with 9’57”. The first real time to beat, though, was recorded by Picnic-PostNL at 9’39”, which led the standings after 14 teams had already finished their effort.

Tiny margins for a tight GC

Liv-AlUla-Jayco managed to record a faster TTT than Picnic’s, with 9’33”. Pre-race favorites EF Education-Oatly and Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto failed to outperform the Australian team. It would be Ellen van Dijk’s Lidl-Trek to do so, and by just three seconds. The final two teams on the road, Anna van der Breggen’s SD Worx-Protime and Demi Vollering’s FDJ-Suez, were just three and six seconds shy of claiming victory, the latter’s effort marred by their powerhouse Vittoria Guazzini crashing in the course’s turning point placed right in front of the gardens of the former royal palace in Pedralbes. The tiny margins between the different squads means that the GC remains quite tight. Riders have six stages ahead to break it open.