The three-day race did not start out the way that Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) had hoped after she crashed on wet roads before the final climb on stage 1 of Itzulia Women.
The World Champion, who is now 1:01 behind stage winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx) in the overall classification, said that while she felt pain in her hip and wrist at the time of the crash, she was otherwise OK.
“Not our day with a crash in the final for Sheyla Gutiérrez, Paula Patiño and me. Could chase back on before final climb, but painful in hip and wrist, will be okay,” said Van Vleuten on social media following the opening stage into Markina-Xemein.
The World Champion finished fourth on the opener, 51 seconds down on Dutch compatriot and solo stage winner Vollering.
Vollering attacked on the final climb, Urkaregi (5.8km at 4.6%), 12km from the finish in Markina-Xemein.
Vollering shredded the group in the rain, not even a kilometre into the climb, forcing Van Vleuten into attempting a long bridge to the Women's WorldTour overall leader and Kasia Niewadoma (Canyon SRAM), who was the only rider able to follow the initial surge.
Van Vleuten tried to bring her back, but Vollering, as she was at last week’s La Vuelta Femenina, was far superior on the climbs. Seated-power excellence all the way to the summit.
La Vuelta Femenina was won overall by Van Vleuten after she gained time on the controversial sixth stage, putting her Movistar team to work as Vollering took a nature break in a decisive crosswind section.
At Itzulia Women, Van Vleuten will now have both real and metaphorical mountains to climb, starting the second stage at 1:01 in arrears of the race leader.
After a tough wet day in the saddle, Van Vleuten said, “Was a ‘nice’ reminder of Basque racing: full gas rainy day.
"Some refreshing memories of racing Emakumeen Bira in Lekeitio.”
Emakumeen Bira used to be a women’s race held in the Basque Country, which Van Vleuten twice finished second in (2017 and 2018) before its last edition in 2019.
If the World Champion is to stop Vollering from repeating her achievements from last year’s inaugural Itzulia Women, where she won all three stages and the overall GC, she may have to employ similar tactical efforts to La Vuelta.
Stage 2 is another typically Basque parcours with two category three climbs featuring on the undulating 133.2km route starting in Vitoria-Gasteiz and finishing in Amurrio.
“I really like tomorrow's stage and feel that suits me best, and the San Sebastian stage, I’ve never done that before and I’ve only heard that the last climb is very steep, so I'm looking forward to it,” said third-place finisher on the day Niewiadoma.
That third and final stage is the San Sebastian Classic-inspired stage starting in Donostia, which features the famed Jaizkibel climb and the Murgil wall to Mendizorrotz before descending back into Donostia.
