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2023 La Vuelta Femenina

For the men's race, see 2023 Vuelta a España.

2023 La Vuelta Femenina
2023 UCI Women's World Tour, race 15 of 27
Race details
Dates1–7 May
Stages7
Distance741[1] km (460.4 mi)
Winning time19h 00' 11"
Results
Winner  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) (Movistar Team)
  Second  Demi Vollering (NED) (SD Worx)
  Third  Gaia Realini (ITA) (Trek–Segafredo)
Points  Marianne Vos (NED) (Team Jumbo–Visma)
Mountains  Gaia Realini (ITA) (Trek–Segafredo)
Combativity  Marianne Vos (NED) (Team Jumbo–Visma)
Team UAE Team ADQ
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The 2023 La Vuelta Femenina (officially La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es) was the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina, a cycling stage race which takes place in Spain. The race took place from 1 to 7 May 2023, and was the 15th event in the 2023 UCI Women's World Tour.

The race was organised by Unipublic and Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which also organises the men's Vuelta a España. La Vuelta Femenina replaced the stage race (previously one day race) Challenge by La Vuelta, which was staged at the same time as the men's tour.

The race was won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten of Movistar Team, making her the first woman to win all three of the major stage races in women's cycling (La Vuelta Femenina, Tour de France Femmes and Giro Donne). She beat her Dutch rival Demi Vollering of SD Worx by just nine seconds, with Italian Gaia Realini of Trek–Segafredo in third place.

Teams

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Main article: List of teams and cyclists in the 2023 La Vuelta Femenina

12 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited, joined by 12 UCI Women's Continental Teams (9 of them from Spain). The teams were announced on 3 March 2023.[2] Each team will have seven riders.[3]

On 26 April, Zaaf Cycling Team withdrew their entry following allegations of unpaid wages.[4] Two days later, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) revoked Zaaf's licence as they lacked the required number of riders.[5] 23 teams therefore took part in the race.[6][4]

UCI Women's WorldTeams

UCI Women's Continental Teams

Route and stages

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Main article: 2023 La Vuelta Femenina, Stage 1 to Stage 7

In February 2023, the route was announced by race director Fernando Escartín,[7] who also confirmed that the race will be sponsored by supermarket Carrefour.[8] The race was the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina, however, the media noted that the race had grown from the previous Challenge by La Vuelta races.[9]

The race started in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca[10] with a team time trial, before heading north with stages through Castilla–La Mancha, Community of Madrid and Castile and León. The final two stages took place in Cantabria and Asturias, with a decisive final climb up the Lagos de Covadonga, a 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) ascent with an average gradient of 7.4%.[7][11][12] The first rider to the top of the Lagos de Covadonga climb was awarded the Cima Estela Domínguez,[13] honouring the Spanish rider who was killed while training in 2023.[14]

The previous Challenge by La Vuelta events had been criticised by the women's peloton for not being challenging enough.[15] Three-time Giro Donne winner and 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten praised the 2023 route, calling it "a very complete Vuelta",[16] and welcomed that the inclusion of the Lagos de Covadonga climb on the final stage, stating "to end in such a famous location is essential for the race".[17]

Stage characteristics[18][12]
Stage Date Course Distance Type Winner
1 1 May Torrevieja 14.5 km (9.0 mi) Team time trial Team Jumbo–Visma
2 2 May Orihuela to Pilar de la Horadada 105.8 km (65.7 mi) Flat stage  Charlotte Kool (NED)
3 3 May Elche de la Sierra to La Roda 158 km (98 mi) Flat stage  Marianne Vos (NED)
4 4 May Cuenca to Guadalajara 133.1 km (82.7 mi) Hilly stage  Marianne Vos (NED)
5 5 May La Cabrera to Mirador de Peñas Llanas, Riaza 129.2 km (80.3 mi) Mountain stage  Demi Vollering (NED)
6 6 May Castro Urdiales to Laredo 106.7 km (66.3 mi) Medium-mountain stage  Gaia Realini (ITA)
7 7 May Pola de Siero to Lagos de Covadonga 93.7 km (58.2 mi) Mountain stage  Demi Vollering (NED)
Total 741 km (460 mi)

Race overview

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Prior to the start of the race, Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Gaia Realini, Mavi García, Kasia Niewiadoma and Juliette Labous were all named as pre-race favourites for the general classification (GC),[19][20] with Charlotte Kool, Emma Norsgaard and Marianne Vos tipped for the points classification.[20] Potential contender for the general classification Elisa Longo Borghini announced that she would miss the race due to a stomach bug.[21]

For the first time in 2023, each team had 7 riders following a UCI rule change mandating this for events longer than six days.[22] The Zaaf Cycling Team withdrew their entry prior to the start of the event following allegations of unpaid wages.[4] Consequently, 161 riders from 23 teams were present at the start of the race.[4]

Classification leadership table

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Stage Winner General classification
 Points classification
 Mountains classification
 Team classification
 Combativity award
1 Team Jumbo–Visma Anna Henderson not awarded not awarded Team Jumbo–Visma not awarded
2 Charlotte Kool Marianne Vos Charlotte Kool Jade Wiel Yurani Blanco
3 Marianne Vos Marianne Vos Alba Teruel
4 Marianne Vos Elise Chabbey Anna Kiesenhofer
5 Demi Vollering Demi Vollering Canyon–SRAM Ane Santesteban
6 Gaia Realini Annemiek van Vleuten Annemiek van Vleuten UAE Team ADQ Gaia Realini
7 Demi Vollering Gaia Realini Marianne Vos
Final Annemiek van Vleuten Marianne Vos Gaia Realini UAE Team ADQ not awarded

Classification standings

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Legend
Denotes the winner of the general classification Denotes the winner of the team classification
Denotes the winner of the points classification Denotes the winner of the combativity award
Denotes the winner of the mountains classification

General classification

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Final general classification (1–10)[23]
Rank Rider Team Time
1  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Movistar Team 19h 00' 11"
2  Demi Vollering (NED) SD Worx + 9"
3  Gaia Realini (ITA) Trek–Segafredo + 2' 41"
4  Riejanne Markus (NED) Team Jumbo–Visma + 3' 36"
5  Ricarda Bauernfeind (GER) Canyon–SRAM + 3' 53"
6  Évita Muzic (FRA) FDJ–Suez + 4' 24"
7  Juliette Labous (FRA) Team DSM + 4' 27"
8  Erica Magnaldi (ITA) UAE Team ADQ + 4' 46"
9  Mavi García (ESP) Liv Racing TeqFind + 6' 31"
10  Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) Canyon–SRAM + 7' 22"

Points classification

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Final points classification (1–10)[23]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Marianne Vos (NED) Team Jumbo–Visma 197
2  Demi Vollering (NED) SD Worx 142
3  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Movistar Team 138
4  Gaia Realini (ITA) Trek–Segafredo 121
5  Riejanne Markus (NED) Team Jumbo–Visma 101
6  Marlen Reusser (SUI) SD Worx 65
7  Évita Muzic (FRA) FDJ–Suez 58
8  Emma Norsgaard (DEN) Movistar Team 58
9  Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) Canyon–SRAM 39
10  Juliette Labous (FRA) Team DSM 38

Mountains classification

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Final mountains classification (1–10)[23]
Rank Rider Team Points
1  Gaia Realini (ITA) Trek–Segafredo 43
2  Demi Vollering (NED) SD Worx 41
3  Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Movistar Team 38
4  Évita Muzic (FRA) FDJ–Suez 22
5  Elise Chabbey (SUI) Canyon–SRAM 18
6  Amanda Spratt (AUS) Trek–Segafredo 13
7  Ricarda Bauernfeind (GER) Canyon–SRAM 12
8  Erica Magnaldi (ITA) UAE Team ADQ 12
9  Marta Cavalli (ITA) FDJ–Suez 10
10  Marlen Reusser (SUI) SD Worx 8

Team classification

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Final team classification (1–10)[23]
Rank Team Time
1 UAE Team ADQ 56h 39' 07"
2 FDJ–Suez + 6' 00"
3 Canyon–SRAM + 7' 14"
4 SD Worx + 18' 05"
5 Movistar Team + 24' 58"
6 Team Jumbo–Visma + 30' 10"
7 Team DSM + 31' 45"
8 Trek–Segafredo + 37' 01"
9 Team Jayco–AlUla + 52' 53"
10 Israel Premier Tech Roland + 57' 15"

References

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  1. ^ "Official route of La Vuelta Femenina 2023". La Vuelta Femenina. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  2. ^ "La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es: teams selection". La Vuelta Femenina. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  3. ^ Frattini, Kirsten (6 January 2023). "Women's WorldTour – The definitive guide for 2023". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Fotheringham, Alasdair (26 April 2023). "Zaaf pull out of La Vuelta Feminina, Unipublic confirms". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ Frattini, Kirsten (28 April 2023). "UCI revokes Zaaf Cycling Team's licence". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  6. ^ LaVueltaFem (26 April 2023). "🚴🏻‍♀️ El equipo @ZaafTeam no participará en #LaVueltaFemenina. 23 equipos estarán en la línea de salida de Torrevieja. 🚴🏻‍♀️ Zaaf Cycling Team won't be at the start of #LaVueltaFemenina. 23 teams will be at the TTT in Torrevieja". Twitter. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b "News – The route of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es". La Vuelta Femenina. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  8. ^ "A historical edition – La Vuelta Femenina 2023". La Vuelta Femenina. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  9. ^ O'shea, Sadhbh (8 May 2023). "Vuelta Femenina: 6 lessons learned from revamped race". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023. Last week's race was billed as the first-ever Vuelta Femenina by the organizers. While, strictly speaking, it is the first race run under that name, it was a development of the Challenge by La Vuelta format run before it.
  10. ^ "La Vuelta Femenina confirmed to start in Torrevieja, full route to be revealed in late February". Eurosport UK. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  11. ^ Welch, Betsy (28 February 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 route". Cycling News. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Cima Estela Domínguez: El Homenaje Eterno De La Vuelta Femenina A La Joven Ciclista Fallecida". Eurosport. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  14. ^ Ostanek, Daniel (10 February 2023). "Spanish neo-pro Estela Domínguez killed after being hit by truck driver". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  15. ^ Welch, Betsy (28 February 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023. Despite the number of stages increasing over the past few years, many riders and teams have slammed the previous editions of the race for not being long or hard enough.
  16. ^ Welch, Betsy (28 February 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023. It's a very complete Vuelta.
  17. ^ Welch, Betsy (28 February 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023. After the announcement, Van Vleuten praised the inclusion of the brutal Lagos de Covadonga climb on the final, decisive stage. "To end in such a famous location is essential for the race"
  18. ^ "Official route of La Vuelta Femenina 2023". La Vuelta Femenina. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  19. ^ Puddicombe, Stephen (27 April 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 – contenders and predictions". Rouleur. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  20. ^ a b Mickey, Abby (29 April 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina: a far-too-detailed preview". Escape Collective. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  21. ^ Weislo, Laura (28 April 2023). "Elisa Longo Borghini out of La Vuelta Femenina". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  22. ^ Frattini, Kirsten (29 April 2023). "The biggest talking points ahead of La Vuelta Femenina – Preview". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 May 2023. La Vuelta Femenina is the first race on the Women's WorldTour calendar this year that is seven stages, and so the first time that teams will start with seven riders.
  23. ^ a b c d Knöfler, Lukas (7 May 2023). "La Vuelta Femenina: Van Vleuten narrowly secures GC while Vollering wins stage 7". CyclingNews. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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