Van der Breggen keeps Blasi at bay up Les Praeres
May 8 th 2026 - 18:12 [GMT + 2]
The peloton of La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es was waiting for the final two stages in Asturias to decide the overall standings of the race. First on the menu came the summit finish to Les Praeres, and its ramps really made the expected difference as Dutch legend Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx-Protime) took matters into her own hands from the bottom of the final climb and dropped all her rivals, one by one, to triumph and claim La Roja as new GC leader. One rider, though, did her best to resist the irresistible pace of the Olympic champion in Rio 2016 and nearly succeeded in doing so. It was up-and-coming Spanish talent Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ), who crossed the finish line just 8” behind the winner after a fierce chase, followed by Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike), who was in turn 29” in arrears. The overall victory is far from settled, though, as Van der Breggen only has 18” on Blasi and 41” on Bunel, and no less than ten other riders within 2’00” from her in the GC. These gaps don’t allow the Dutch rider to take anything for granted, considering the most gruelling of the challenges is still awaiting - Saturday’s climb to the legendary Alto de l’Angliru.
116 riders took the start in the sixth stage of La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es, which began from Gijón to culminate with the first summit finish of this edition of the Spanish grand tour atop Les Praeres, a 3,7-kilometres long climb at an average gradient of 13,4%. After five days which helped shape the overall standings, it was time for the GC favorites to finally race all out for La Roja. There were two DNSs: Natalie Quinn (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal). A small crash for Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) in the neutral zone delayed the real start until 14.49 CEST. As the flag dropped, four women went clear: Gaia Masetti (Picnic-PostNL), Sterre Vervloet (Lotto Intermarché Ladies), Marine Allione (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Elisa Valtulini (Vini Fantini-Bepink). Shortly after, Aniek van Alphen (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Léa Rondel (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) counterattacked, yet failed to bridge back with the head of the race despite a remarkable effort.
Masetti and Vervloet, the last women standing
No team took the helm in the peloton, enabling the front four to build a sizable gap of 5’10”, timed at kilometre 49. The pack sped up since then, beginning to make inroads into the advantage of the breakaway. Maëva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) crashed out of the race at kilometre 65. Just five kilometres later, Van Alphen and Rondel were brought back by the pack. The break kept 1’20” on the peloton across the the Intermediate Sprint in La Curciada (IS, km 83,1). Masetti and Vervloet accelerated to keep their attempt alive for a few more kilometres, yet they were finally chased down with 11 kilometres left to race as the rain started pouring down on the riders.
Van der Breggen, on her own
It all came down to the brutally steep climb to Les Praeres. Reigning Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot led a decimated peloton into the first slopes, where EF’s Cédrine Kerbaol tried to take off. Her effort was frustrated by Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), who set a fierce pace to drop her rivals one by one. Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) and Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike) were the last ones to latch onto her wheel before getting dropped with 2,5 kilometres to go. The Catalan rider still gave the Dutch rider a run for her money, as she was just five seconds shy of bridging back with one kilometre to go. It wasn’t to be, though, and Van der Breggen triumphed atop Les Praeres by 8” on Blasi and 29” on Bunel, claiming La Roja as new overall leader.
