Vega ‘Vuelta’

The first two stages of the 2023 women’s cycling tour of Spain (La Vuelta Femenina) brought colour, anticipation and excitement to the Vega Baja earlier this week. Monday’s inaugural stage was a 14.5 kilometre team time trial through the streets of Torrevieja.

A total of 160 riders from 23 teams started the race, with the Dutch team, JumboVisma finishing in the fastest time of 18’032’’.

The British cyclist Anna Henderson was the first Jumbo-Visma rider to cross the line, meaning she claimed the red jersey as the first general classification (GC) leader of the sevenstage event, which finishes at the Lagos de Covadonga in Asturias on Sunday. “We are over the moon, it’s our first win of the women’s team all year, and to win together is just awesome,” said Anna Henderson after the stage.

“We’re super happy and proud of the performance that we did.” Tuesday’s stage two saw the riders chomping at the bit, ready to take on the 105.8km of open roads from Orihuela to Pilar de la Horadada, following the restrictions of the previous day’s team time trial.

The stage passed through a who’s who of Vega Baja municipalities, including Almoradí, Benijófar, Jacarilla and San Miguel de Salinas, and featured the race’s first categorised climb, a category four ascent of the Puerto de Rebate.

At the end of the stage, DSM’s Charlotte Kool, pipped Henderson’s JumboVisma teammate Marianne Vos, in a fierce sprint for the day’s honours.

Vos however did just enough to claim the red jersey off of her teammate, with Henderson, still the top-placed Briton in the peloton, dropping down to ninth on the GC.