With the start of La Vuelta Femenina just around the corner on May 4, teams have started to announce their rosters for the first women's Grand Tour of 2025, with Liv AlUla Jayco and Movistar the first to confirm their seven riders.
Both teams will start the stage 1 Barcelona team time trial with contenders for the overall victory. Lianne Lippert and Marlen Reusser will lead Movistar's ambitions, while Mavi García will lead the home Spanish hopes for the Australian team.
García, still racing at age 41, will look to surpass her previous best overall result at the headline Spanish event, which is ninth from the 2023 edition, the first year the women's Vuelta was reformed and moved to May on the calendar.
The Vuelta Femenina now begins a big block of racing in Spain for the women's peloton, with Itzulia and the Vuelta a Burgos also being raced in May. It's an important block for the GC riders, with García one of many to have prepared specifically for it.
"This year will be a little different, for me, because I haven’t competed much before La Vuelta," said García in Liv AlUla Jayco's team announcement.
"I’ve had a long time to prepare for the race, and I’m excited to get going! I’ve been training hard and well in Sierra Nevada for 20 days. I spent part of my time with the women’s team, then with the men, and finally on my own for a few days. I hope to arrive feeling refreshed and I’m excited to try for a good result at my home race with a very strong team behind me."
The veteran Spanish racer will be supported by Josie Talbot, Monica Trinca Colonel, Jeanne Korevaar, Amber Pate, Letizia Paternoster, and Georgia Baker, with the latter two set to contest the sprint stages in Spain.
Movistar have a similarly versatile squad to support Lippert and Reusser, with the former looking for a stage win to add to her Tour de France Femmes and Giro d'Italia Women stage successes.
19-year-old Cat Ferguson is the other standout name on their roster, racing her first Vuelta as a neo-pro, with Mareille Meijering, Olivia Baril, Sara Martin and Tota Magalhaes forming a strong support squad for the leaders.
Ferguson is provisionally the youngest starter of La Vuelta Femenina, while García is set to be the oldest.
Dutch riders have dominated the Vuelta's GC, finishing first and second at both editions since the race was extended to seven stages and moved to a more suitable slot on the calendar in May. Defending champion Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) is also expected to start.
After the important opening stage 8km TTT, the fight for the GC is likely to be decided on the two key mountain days – stage 5 and 7 – up to Lagunas de Neila and Alto de Cotobello.
