Paula Blasi: a red star is born!
May 9 th 2026 - 15:01 [GMT + 2]
As if its gruelling ramps were filled with magic, the Alto de l’Angliru offered a mesmerizing spectacle and turned La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es upside down, enchanting some and haunting the rest. Human Powered Health’s Petra Stiasny turned out to be the best and fastest up this legendary climb in Asturias to land a career-defining stage victory, yet the real star of the day was Paula Blasi - a red star, indeed. The UAE Team ADQ up-and-coming rider put a brave, powerful acceleration in the steepest part of the Angliru to drop and distance overall leader (and women’s cycling legend) Anna van der Breggen, and take La Roja off her shoulders to become the first Spanish rider to win La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es. The SD Worx-Protime rider had to settle with standing second on the final podium, alongside white jersey Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike). 23-year-old Blasi also won the Mountains classification, while SD Worx’s Lotte Kopecky brought home the green jersey. All in all, it was a finale to remember - one that can mark the beginning of a new era in professional cycling.
111 riders took the start in the seventh and final stage of La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es, which began from Pola de Laviana to culminate atop the legendary Alto de l’Angliru - an unprecedented challenge for the women’s peloton, consisting of 12.4 kilometres at an average of 9.7%, with slopes as steep as 23% and entire kilometres climbing well above 15%. It was not the only mountain of the day, though: with three more listed climbs and 3,266 metres of elevation gain, this was bound to be the hardest stage in La Vuelta Femenina’s history. FDJ United-Suez’s Marie Le Net didn’t take the start. The many attacks and the pace maintained by Lidl-Trek up the first categorized climb of the day, the Alto de Santo Emiliano (Cat 3, km 15,2), reduced the peloton to just 45 riders. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal) was first across its summit, claiming enough points to take the polka dot jersey in her quest to conquer the Queen of the Mountains classification.
An ambitious UAE Team ADQ
28 kilometres into the stage, Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) went clear. She was joined shortly after by her sister Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek). The two Dutch riders managed to keep the peloton at bay, successfully defending a small gap, until Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) jumped from the bunch at kilometre 41 to bridge back and they finally got granted some leeway. UAE Team ADQ kept the advantage of the front trio under control for a while, before letting them go as much as for their gap to grow to 4’10”, timed at the foot of the Alto de la Tejera (Cat 3, km 75,1). FDJ United-Suez pulled in the peloton to bring it down to 2’52” at the bottom of the Alto de Tenebredo (Cat 2, km 97,7). Up its ramps, Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) took to set a demanding pace to further whittle down the already decimated bunch, trying to favor the chances of her teammate Paula Blasi, who started the stage as 2nd overall, just 18” in arrears of race leader Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime). The work by the multiple Spanish national champion brought the breakaway’s advantage down to 1’15” atop the Tenebredo.
The Angliru turned La Vuelta Femenina upside down
The peloton, decimated down to 35 riders, diminished its chasing effort on the way to the Angliru, so Lippert and the Markus sisters saw their lead increase to 2’00” at the Intermediate Sprint in Las Mazas (IS, km 115,7). It was later reduced on the approach to the Alto de l’Angliru (HC, km 132,9 - Cima Estela Domínguez), down to 1’30” at its bottom. One kilometre into the final climb, Liane Lippert was already alone in the lead. She would only be overtaken 5,5 kilometres from the finish, when Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health) had already hit the front, with only five riders able to keep up with her pace: Van der Breggen, Blasi, Valentina Cavallar (Team SD Worx-Protime), Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-Suez). Already in the white jersey, Bunel hit the afterburners with 4,5 kilometres to go, a move that turned out to be a springboard for Blasi to take off and Van der Breggen to start losing ground to the Catalan rider - and La Roja, too. A steady effort saw Stiasny overtake Blasi with just 2 kilometres left to race, and go on to conquer the Alto de l’Angliru. Yet the Swiss rider wasn’t much of a worry for Blasi, who was on a personal quest for the overall win - and succeeded, indeed, by putting 36” on Van der Breggen while Bunel secured the final podium spot.
