The finish in Amurrio is likely to be the closest we get to a bunch sprint in this year’s race, though that will be dictated by how teams approach an unclassified climb at Lezama, just over five kilometres out.Īs with last year’s race, the final stage resembles the San Sebastián Klasikoa which substituted the proposed first edition of Itzulia in 2021, and which Van Vleuten won conclusively. A version of that climb featured as the final challenge in last month’s men’s race, though the women’s effort is slightly longer, covering 5.8km at an average of 4.6%, though double-digit gradients will encourage aggressive racing ahead of the downhill finish.ĭay two is the longest and arguably the easiest of the three, the 133.5km stage beginning on the plateau around Vitoria-Gasteiz before heading north into the hills.
Starting in Etxebarria and finishing 122.2km later, stage one may prove the most decisive, the climb to Urkaregi, the last of two classified climbs, coming only 10km from the finish in Markina-Xemein. In time-honoured Basque fashion, all three days wind through the region’s narrow, tree-clad valleys, but while there is plenty of climbing, each day’s finish is either flat or even downhill. If Vollering is to repeat her 2022 three-stage clean sweep she will need to deal with a different challenge, with none of this year’s stages finishing uphill. Lack of uphill finishes requires new approachĪ general view of the peloton at Itzulia Women (Image credit: Getty Images) That move seemed to create a little needle between the two women and their teams, and it remains to be seen whether Vollering’s final stage win at La Vuelta is revenge enough for SD Worx.įor extra spice, Vollering’s sports director Anna van der Breggen and Van Vleuten were fierce rivals when the former was riding, so Itzulia should be a cracker. On the other hand, Vollering was imperious on the Vuelta’s two mountain top finishes, winning both, and she might have won the overall had Van Vleuten’s Movistar team controversially upped the pace while she and her SDWorx teammates stopped for a comfort break on stage 6.
Not since 2015 has she reached the first week of May without a victory, and lacking a stage win last week, she will be hungry to make amends at Itzulia. Even while claiming the Vuelta winner’s maillot rojo, she seemed to be fighting her bike all the way to the line at the finale Lagos de Covadonga, holding on apparently only by her incredible will to win. Van Vleuten, the reigning World Champion, has not seemed herself this season. This year, though, roles have been reversed, with Vollering besting Van Vleuten in all but last week’s Vuelta general classification. Last year, Van Vleuten dominated their duels, indeed Vollering never once won ahead of her Dutch compatriot despite having a successful season. The two women will meet again in the Basque Country this weekend, and their battle is set to be another fascinating one. La Vuelta Femenina was notable for some fascinating and combative racing in the early stages, while the final three of the seven days were defined by the head-to-head between Demi Vollering (SDWorx) and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar). Demi Vollering and Annemiek van Vleuten at La Vuelta Femenina (Image credit: Getty Images)
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