The primary Grand Tour of the 2025 season is upon us with the seven-day La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es set to start with a workforce time trial on Might 5 in Barcelona, the place the distinguished workforce victory and the primary crimson chief’s jersey will probably be on the road.
The 2025 La Vuelta Femenina will start on the Mediterranean coast in Barcelona and cross 748 kilometres to the west for a mountaintop finale at Cotobello within the Asturias. Alongside the way in which, there will probably be three mountain phases and three rolling phases to find out the general champion on Might 10.
Demi Vollering will line up because the defending champion and the outright favorite. Nevertheless, her workforce, FDJ-SUEZ, arrives at this stage race with a number of playing cards to play in the case of stage wins and the overall classification.
The official begin checklist just isn’t but out there with a number of groups – together with the formidable SD Worx-Protime, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, Lidl-Trek and UAE Crew ADQ – but to substantiate their line-ups; nevertheless, Cyclingnews has begun choosing the primary spherical of confirmed riders to observe. Additional updates to this web page will probably be made as groups finalise their rosters within the days main as much as the beginning of La Vuelta Femenina, so hold checking again for the newest data.
Demi Vollering, Juliette Labous, Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ)
Demi Vollering traces up because the favorite for a repeat victory at La Vuelta Femenina based mostly on her efficiency throughout this block of the season final yr the place she gained all three Spanish stage races: La Vuelta, Itzulia Ladies and Vuelta a Burgos.
She has, as soon as once more, had a powerful Spring Basic marketing campaign along with her new outfit FDJ-SUEZ supporting her to victories at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, Strade Bianche, together with podiums at Omloop, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Vollering will undoubtedly take a while to get better earlier than turning her consideration to those spring stage races, once more, starting with La Vuelta, as she goals for a title defence.
However, whereas the course and the climbs are well-suited to Vollering, FDJ-SUEZ is arguably the strongest workforce within the race, with two different playing cards to play within the common classification, Juliette Labous and Évita Muzic.
They had been all on rival groups in final yr’s La Vuelta and all raced into the highest 5 however collectively on FDJ-SUEZ they are going to be a troublesome workforce to beat within the mountains. They’re all able to successful phases and racing among the many choice on the difficult parcours.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)
La Vuelta Femenina marks the primary Grand Tour for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in her comeback to skilled highway racing. Whereas she got here into the season with kind that was considerably of an unknown among the many highway peloton, she ended up turning heads with a stellar Spring Classics marketing campaign that included third at Strade Bianche, second at Tour of Flanders and victory at Paris-Roubaix.
Ferrand-Prévot retired from a glowing mountain bike profession after successful gold on the Paris Olympics, and returned to her highway racing roots with Visma-Lease a Bike. The French rider is a 15-time world champion throughout highway, cyclocross, mountain bike and gravel racing.
Her historical past in highway racing is plain, not solely a former world champion, but in addition a challenger within the largest stage races whereas competing with groups Rabobank and Canyon-SRAM from 2012 to 2019. Her success in stage racing consists of general victory on the former Emakumeen Bira and second general on the Giro d’Italia, each in 2014.
She opened this season with a ‘warm-up’ stage race on the UAE Tour Ladies, earlier than tackling the one-day races this spring. Her performances on the highway to date have solely strengthened her place as a serious contender throughout difficult terrain. To date, there is not something Ferrand-Prévot can not do and, whereas stage racing will deliver a special vary of challenges, she shouldn’t be underestimated within the hunt for the crimson jersey.
Mavi García (Liv Jayco AlUla)
Mavi García will line up as considered one of Spain’s high contenders for the general classification at La Vuelta Femenina. Racing for Liv Jayco AlUla, the previous Spanish champion will probably be accustomed to these roads having educated on them throughout her tenure in professional biking and competed in a number of variations of this race.
Her highest place at La Vuelta Femenina was ninth in 2023 when the race moved right into a seven-day format in Might. Though she completed twentieth final yr, she’s going to nonetheless be one of many major riders to observe because the chief of her workforce.
García is an all-rounder who typically enjoys being a part of the motion and the breakaways. She excels in time trials, mid-mountain and high-mountain phases, making this La Vuelta Femenina an ideal mixture for a rider like García.
She is popping out of the Spring Classics having positioned fifth at Strade Bianche, however she hasn’t raced since Milan-San Remo and can have doubtless opted to spend time coaching for this necessary block of Spanish racing that begins at La Vuelta however continues at Itzulia and Burgos.
Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert (Movistar)
Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert make a robust duo for this stage race, showcasing completely different but suitable strengths that collectively will swimsuit this parcours proper from the workforce time trial to the punchy mid-mountains.
In her first season with Movistar, Reusser will doubtless goal La Vuelta given it’s a key race for the house workforce. Whereas her strengths are in time trialling and breakaways, the Swiss rider has already proved herself at this occasion, having completed thirteenth whereas racing to help Vollering and SD Worx-Protime in final yr’s version.
Reusser will undoubtedly have extra alternatives to race for the overall classification this yr. Movistar enters the race with choices for the general and stage wins, however the workforce may find yourself with Reusser within the chief’s jersey after the opening workforce time trial.
Nonetheless, the workforce even have Lippert, who’s a possible stage winner, together with riders like Sara Martín, Olivia Baril, and Mareille Meijering, who may all problem within the hilly terrain.
Test again once more for a full checklist of contenders for the 2025 La Vuelta Femenina, with updates to roll out as competing groups finalise and announce their rosters.
