Women's WorldTour race adds a stage, finishes with Vuelta a España
The Ceratizit-WNT team celebrates the overall victory in the Madrid Challenge 2020(Image credit: Getty Images)
The organisers of the Women's World Tour (WWT) race, the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, announced an expanded course for the 2021 edition, September 2-5, with four stages taking place in Galicia including a mountain time trial to the Cabeza de Manzaneda Ski Resort.
The Ceratizit Challenge started out as a one-day race in Madrid in 2015, taking place in conjunction with the Vuelta a España much like La Course by Le Tour de France and its July counterpart. The event expanded to two stages in 2018 and added a third last season. However, this year's race will be the toughest of all the editions.
This year's event will join with the Vuelta a España on stage 4, with the women's stage finishing in the same location as the finale of the stage 21 men's individual time trial.
Stage 1 starts by descending from the Cabeza de Manzaneda Ski Resort and tackling the category 1 Alto da Portela mid-stage before an undulating approach to the finish in A Rúa after 118.7 kilometres.
The second stage is an uphill individual time trial starting at 1,066 metres and climbing to 1,490 metres at the Cabeza de Manzaneda Ski Resort across 7.3 kilometres.
The lumpy 107.9km stage 3 starts in the same location, descending to A Pobla de Trives, then going over the category 3 Alto de Cerdeira and second-category Alto de A Lama with another undulating approach to the finish in Pereiro de Aguiar.
The Ceratizit Challenge closes with a stage for the sprinters, a flatter day across 107.4 kilometres from As Pontes to the finish at the historic Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela.
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Past winners of the Ceratizit Challenge include 2019 and 2020 champion Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT) and Jolien D'Hoore (SD Worx).
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Profile for stage 1 of the 2021 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta(Image credit: CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelt)
Profile for stage 2 of the 2021 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta(Image credit: CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelt)
Profile for stage 3 of the 2021 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta(Image credit: CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelt)
Profile for stage 4 of the 2021 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta(Image credit: CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelt)
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