KASIA AND CECILIE FINISH WITH MAIN GC CONTENDERS ON STAGE 2

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney played to her strengths over a dragging final 5km that levelled out into a flat finish, but couldn’t quite make them count on stage 2 of La Vuelta Femenina.

The peloton rolled out from Lobios for 108km in dry conditions, with the sun peeking through grey, looming clouds – the threat of rain ever-present in Galicia, as reflected in the damp roads.

Despite no QOM points being on offer, it was very much an up-and-down stage, with climbs aplenty. Aggressive riding set the tone from the start, but it wasn’t until the 50km mark that a move finally stuck, with a group of five riders getting away. Wilma Aintila and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka made light work of the early undulations, holding Kasia in good position.

Inside the final 30km, the rising pace in the peloton brought the break back, as constant attacks fired off the front in sync with the rolling terrain.

With 20km remaining, the peloton stretched and compressed over a series of quick descents, culminating in a sharp right-hand turn at 5.7km to go. From there, the road dragged uphill for 4km at an average of 4%, with ramps up to 9%.

Aalerud (UXM) made her move with 12km to go but was reeled in inside the final 3km, as Kasia matched the uphill surges of the favourites. With 1.7km remaining, Amstel Gold winner Blasi (UAE) launched a big attack, forcing a group of five clear, including Kasia, but the move lacked cohesion and was soon shut down. Kasia momentarily looked to anticipate the sprint and take a flyer, but Kerbaol (EFO) beat her to it. Second wheel into the final 300m, she was left exposed and swamped as the pure sprinters opened up.

Kasia crossed the line in 25th and is 14th on the general classification. After the stage, she said:

“The final was much faster than I expected. On Veloviewer, the 5% looked harder, but we were going up there at 30km/hour. The moment that I wanted to attack, (Paula) Blasi (UAE) went, so I was like, okay, nice. We only had a small gap, but it was good to see who responded quickly. It’s an indicator of what we might be to come.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 3 | Tue, May 5 | Padrón – A Coruña | 121km | 2036m | 13:50 – 17:05 CET | Live 15:35.

Stage 4 | Wed, May 6 | Monforte de Lemos – Antas de Ulla | 115km | 2002m | 14:05 – 17:07 CET | Live 15:35.

Stage 5 | Thu, May 7 | León – Astorga | 119km | 1146m | 13:50 – 17:06 CET | Live 15:35.

Stage 6 | Fri, May 8 | Gijón – Les Praeres | 106km | 2138m | 14:05 – 17:36 CET | Live 16:05.

Stage 7 | Sat, May 9 | La Pola Llaviana – L’Angliru | 132km | 3272m | 10:15 – 14:17 CET | Live 15:50.

Live coverage is available on RTVE (Spain), TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, FloBikes, Peacock, SBS, and other national broadcasters. Follow the race each day on X using #LaVueltaFemenina and #UCIWWT, and stay updated with CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto via our social channels.