How the race finished
Demi Vollering (SD Worx) took overall honours at the Vuelta a Burgos after SD Worx won all four stages. Wiebes sprinted to glory on stages one and three, while a relegation meant Vollering took the win on stage two. After staying out of trouble in the cross winds and climbing strongly, Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quickstep) completed the GC podium.
Full results are available below.
How it happened
Stage One of the four stage race was a stage for the sprinters. Despite a number of attempts to get up the road, the teams controlled things for their sprinters, and headwind sections made it hard for a small group to find a gap. Corinna Lechner (Massi-Tactic) made the first lasting move of the race, finding a minute over the peloton in the opening part of the stage. Magdeleine Vallières (EF Education Tibco SVB) bridged across, but the pair were reeled back in on the climb up to Alto La Varga, where Soraya Paladin (Canyon//Sram Racing) was first over the top. On the descent, Lechner’s teammate Valeria Valgonen attacked and found herself over a minute advantage as well. After a crosswind section, where Trek-Segafredo increased the pace to try to capitalise on the wind, Valgonen was brought back.
With around 30 kilometres remaining, the Paladin, Cecile Uttrup-Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) and Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) sprinted for bonus seconds, then continued with their effort. Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quickstep) couldn’t let them up the road unchecked, so bridged across, neutralising the move. The closing kilometres saw further attacks, with Alicia González (Movistar) finding a gap on a descent. When she was caught with 11.5km ramining, her teammate Aude Biannic launched with Valerie Demey (Liv Racing TeqFind). The duo were quickly joined by Elena Pirrone (Israel-Premier Tech Roland) and Jade Wiel (FDJ-Suez), and the quartet held a slim margin and the chasing peloton struggled to get organised. After they were eventually caught, the sprint was imminent, and chaos ensued. Wiebes lost her train, but was able to find a space to open up, speeding past Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) to take the win, with Chloé Dygert (Canyon//Sram Racing) in third.
During Stage Two the open roads combined with a strong wind wreaked havoc on the peloton, with an early split into three groups. The front group was led by SD Worx, Trek and Canyon//Sram Racing, who continued to pile on the pressure at every opportunity. Slowly the group whittled down, until there were only twelve riders remaining at the front to contest the short cobbled punch to the finish line in Lerma.
Reusser and Vollering led out Wiebes, who powered away to take first across the line. However, the race jury relegated Wiebes for impeding Dygert on the cobbles, shuffling Vollering into first and Dygert into second on the stage. The peloton crossed the line over two minutes adrift, putting paid to the GC aspirations of several riders, with FDJ, Movistar and UAE Team Emirate among those affected.
Stage Three was also earmarked for a bunch sprint, but the finale turned out to be more thrilling than expected. A large breakaway formed early in the stage, with fifteen riders still clear and holding an advantage of just under a minute with 50 seconds remaining. Although there was minimal threat to the General Classification, with the highest placed rider being Sheyla Guitérrez at 3:14, if SD Worx wanted to put Wiebes in a position to win again, they would need to bring the group back.
At 5km to go the gap had reduced, but only slightly – with the break still holding over 30 seconds on the chasing peloton. Through the flamme rouge the break still held the advantage, but their gap was slim. In the end, it was only when Wiebes and Balsamo launched their sprints that the group were caught, and they were the only two who were able to pass every member of the break away. In a repeat of stage one, Wiebes and Balsamo took first and second across the line.
Stage Four was the final showdown for the General Classification, with a mountain-top finish at Lagunas de Neila poised to create significant time gaps where previously only wind and bonus seconds separated those at the top. SD Worx controlled the day, but Soraya Paladin (Canyon//Sram) was once again able to claim mountain points over the first climb. With 77km remaining, the Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Alex Manly (Jayco-AlUla) rode clear, and were later joined by Sara Martin (Movistar). Despite edging their gap out to over two minutes, by the base of the final climb, with 12km remaining, it all came back together.
Marlen Reusser led Vollering out into the base of the climb, and Vollering launched almost immediately, with Shirin van Anrooij the only rider able to follow. As Vollering settled into her pace, van Anrooij eventually had to let the wheel go, but held steady within sight of the leader. Behind them, a small group worked together to try to narrow the gap, but the time was only slowly slipping out. By the time they hit the steep upper slopes, Vollering had over a minute gap, but van Anrooij was reeled back in. Vollering was able to raise her arms and celebrate her victory.
Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) made a bid for glory, riding clear of the chasers to take second across the line. Teammate Silvia Persico was third, but with both the UAE Team AQD riders having lost time in the cross winds, the fourth and fifth riders across the line on the day, van Anrooij and Moolman-Pasio, rounded out the GC podium.
Final Classification
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