As it Happened: Brutal final ascent explodes overall classification on La Vuelta Feminina stage 6

Phenomenal victory for the SD Worx-ProTime rider.

2026-05-08T15:50:45.074Z

The lead remains around 10 seconds heading into the final few hundred metres.

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Blasi looks to be tiring now as her cadence slows. Van der Breggen’s has remained consistent throughout and is opening the gap.

Van der Breggen gets out of the saddle to grind out the last of her power.

2026-05-08T15:48:30.638Z

They are on the steep stuff again and Van der Breggen is looking good. Blasi is 10 seconds down.

However, Van der Breggen is certainly pulling clear now as they hit a short flat section.

The last 800 metres will kick up again.

Blasi is slowly coming back to Van der Breggen. Very slowly.

2026-05-08T15:44:36.138Z

They are approaching a flatter section, which could be an opportunity for Blasi to get back to Van der Breggen, who is gritting her teeth.

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Bunel is dropping away from Blasi now after setting just off her wheel for much of this climb.

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Blasi is currently holding the gap behind Van der Breggen. She is not losing any more ground.

2026-05-08T15:42:45.826Z

Niewiadoma is sinking backwards and out of the top-10. Trinca Colonel is now leading a small group just behind Berthet.

This is impressive from Van der Breggen. She is locked into her rhythm and powering up this terrible climb.

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Van der Breggen has around ten seconds over Blasi, who is just ahead of Bunel.

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Behind, Berthet has overtaken Niewiadoma. Ferrand-Prévot is way back.

2026-05-08T15:39:48.425Z

The SD Worx-ProTime rider is streaking clear now, but Blasi and Bunel haven’t completely exploded yet.

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Van der Breggen accelerates on the steepest section and breaks Blasi.

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It’s one of the most decorated riders of all time up against two of the sport’s emerging talents.

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Blasi is glued to Van der Breggen’s wheel at the moment and Bunel is clawing her way back.

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Van de Breggen continues and Niewiadoma is dropped. The Polish champion is losing a lot of ground.

2026-05-08T15:37:30.423Z

Bunel just sitting a few bike-lengths off the front three. Berthet not far behind.

Van der Breggen is pulling Niewiadoma and Blasi clear with her. Bunel is not far off.

This climb is unrelentingly steep.

Time for a brutal finish as the rain lashes down.

2026-05-08T15:32:22.280Z

Descending to the foot of the climb now.

It’s Marion Bunel working on the front. She’s one of only a few domestiques left.

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Another short dig before Las Praeres. The group has thinned to around 25.

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They are less than 2km from the climb now. Ferrand-Prévot is perfectly placed, as are Kerbaol, Niewiadoma and Van der Breggen.

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The conditions are tough out there. This is going to make the final climb even more selective. The question is, who can deal with the weather the best?

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Kopecky is also distanced.

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The riders are on a short but steep unclassified rise which is shredding the peloton.

Koch, sitting second overall, is dropped.

Multiple teams fighting for dominance on the front of the bunch now, with 6km to go to the foot of the climb.

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Confirmation then, if anyone needed it, that SD Worx-ProTime are working for Van der Breggen, as they’ve said they would do since the beginning of the race.

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Red jersey Kopecky is now pulling on the front of the peloton as the breakaway is caught.

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Crash in the peloton for Visma-Lease a Bike’s Sarah van Dam. The Canadian was sitting 6th overall coming into the stage, but wasn’t expected to challenge.

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Just 10 seconds for Masetti and Vervloet now.

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The end is near for this breakaway. The gap is now just 30 seconds as the peloton rail it on a wide, flat road.

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Lidl-Trek are really getting behind German climber Ricarda Bauernfeind today. The 26 year old currently sits in 17th overall, 32 seconds behind Kopecky.

Her team-mates are driving the peloton on en masse.

The lead has dropped to one minute over Koch and Bredewold, with the peloton 1:20 down.

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Koch and Bredewold have now stopped working, with Koch eating into Kopecky’s points lead.

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Bredewold beats Koch in the sprint behind, taking points in the points classification.

Gaia Masetti takes the bonus seconds and points.

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The Koch group has 20 seconds over the peloton, with EF Education First-Oatly leading the bunch.

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Koch knows she can’t challenge the very best on the climb, so she is seeking to take an advantage beforehand.

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Interesting move from the bunch as second place Franziska Koch escapes the bunch on a descent alongside team-mate Eva van Agt and Mischa Bredewold, who won the stage yesterday.

The gap is down to 1:44. Allione has rejoined the lead, but looks in trouble on this climb.

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The riders are on the climb to La Curciada.

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Allione has dropped off the back of the breakaway, but is making an effort to return.

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For the first time in a long time, the break’s advantage has dipped below two minutes.

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5km to go now until the bonus sprint.

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Gaia Realini is not having a good race, or season, for Lidl-Trek. The Italian is sitting near the back of the bunch on this ascent.

The break’s lead is melting away at the moment. It’s now 2:30.

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Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto are gathered around Niewiadoma on the right of the peloton. They haven’t invested much on the front of the bunch yet today.

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As the peloton hit the climb, a few riders are being tailed off. They include Alberte Greve from Uno-X Mobility, Picnic-PostNL’s Juliana Londoña and Silvia Zanardi of Human Powered Health.

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The break are on a short unclassified climb. After this, they will descend to the foot of La Curciada, which will conclude with a bonus sprint. As it stands, this will be contested by the break, so no opportunities for GC action there.

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Blasi was dropped from the Kopecky group and is still chasing.

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The Kopecky group has made contact with the back of the bunch.

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Kopecky is still working alone on the front of this chasing group, which has swollen to around 15. The group is almost back in the peloton now.

A lot of energy invested by the race leader over the last few kilometres.

The peloton is slowly creeping into the break’s advantage, which now sits just over four minutes.

2026-05-08T14:31:35.355Z

Reigning Tour de France Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is looking to test herself on the final climb today. She is part of a gaggle of riders sitting 32 seconds behind overall leader Lotte Kopecky.

“Today’s will be an important stage for the GC, so I’m looking forward to what we can do as a team. Positioning at the bottom of the climb will be important, and from then on it will be a 20-minute test on which we will do our best,” she said before the start.

The gap is falling slowly and is now 4:40. The intermediate pair are now at 2:30.

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In 25km, there will be a bonus sprint on top of a 2.3km climb, La Curciada.

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SD Worx-ProTime have spent much of the stage today on the front of the peloton, taking responsibility to pull the group as race leaders despite an expectation that Lotte Kopecky will lose red today.

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As the riders continue to climb, the leaders now have 5 minutes of an advantage.

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Gaia Masetti is certainly the most senior of the riders out front today. The Italian is in her third year in the WorldTour, but her first with Picnic-PostNL. 24-year-old Masetti is a previous winner of La Classique Morbihan and is viewed as a reliable domestique.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The leaders now have 4:17 over the bunch.

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It’s looking like a rather hopeless chase for Van Alphen and Rondel. They are over two minutes behind the lead now.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Lotte Kopecky ensconced in the peloton as it whizzes down a brief section of Asturian coastline.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-05-08T13:48:49.376Z

The leaders have just ridden through the puebla of Villaviciosa. Next is a gentle 10km drag up to La Curciada.

The gap between breakaway and peloton has ballooned out above four minutes.

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Plenty of the riders are wearing gilets and arm warmers at the moment and the skies are grey overhead.

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2024 Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is one of the big favourites today and has looked in great form so far this week. After keeping out of trouble in the first five stages, the Polish champion is sitting in 9th place overall.

2:16 is the advantage for the leaders.

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It’s a bit cold out there today, just 14 degrees celsius.

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Van Alphen and Rondel are starting to lose ground now. They are 1:19 behind the leaders.

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Van Alphen remains in pursuit alongside Rondel.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Allione, Masetti, Vervloet and Valtulini are working well together so far.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-05-08T13:20:11.813Z

The leaders now have 2:25 with the chasing pair remaining just over a minute behind.

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The peloton’s deficit is approaching two minutes.

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Rondel has joined Van Alphen, but the pair still have over a minute to close.

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It’s an undulating opening 30km – good terrain for the breakaway. It will get even lumpier in the second half of the stage ahead of today’s finale.

2026-05-08T13:09:42.860Z

The leaders have stretched out their advantage to over a minute.

Aniek van Alphen (Fenix-Premier Tech) is chasing in an attempt to join the leaders. Léa Rondel (Mayenne-Monbana-MyPie) is also in pursuit a little further back.

The riders have set off from the start-line in Gijón.

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Niewiadoma-Phinney, Ferrand-Prévot and Van der Breggen go into the stage as the big favourites, but there are a number of riders from the second tier of favourites who could surprise.

Young Paula Blasi has been one of the breakout riders of the spring following her Amstel Gold victory. The UAE Team ADQ rider is untested on this kind of test in this kind of company.