As it Happened: Brutal final ascent explodes overall classification on La Vuelta Feminina stage 6
It is the shortest day of racing, but also a route meant for the strongest climbers in the peloton with a finish on the category 1 'wall' Les Praeres.Nava
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 6 of La Vuelta Feminina 2026. It's the first of a doubleheader of big mountain stages which will decide this year's race.
The riders will get underway from Gijón at 14:53 local time, just under 40 minutes from now.
It's almost like a new race is beginning today. The first five stages have been fought by the sprinters and classics riders. Today it's time for the climbers to play.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Anna van der Breggan and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot are the big favourites. Who will be wearing the red jersey come the end of the day?
Yesterday it was Mischa Bredewold who took the win on a gruelling sprint finish in Astorga, leading home an SD Worx-ProTime 1-2 with Lotte Kopecky in second place. Kopecky retained the maillot rojo while Bredewold moved up to 4th overall.
Today is the shortest stage of this year's Vuelta Feminina, with just 106km ahead of the riders today. It's a lumpy course for the opening 102km before a real wall of a finish.
Here is Cyclingnews' detailed preview of today's stage: Wall of Praeres expected to crush challengers and shake up GC standings
Anna van der Breggen is one of the favourites today, but the SD Worx-ProTime leader crashed twice in yesterday's stage. How will it affect her performance today?
We go into this stage with the General Classification very close. The top 25 riders are separated by just 32 seconds, meaning that there are a number of riders who could challenge for the lead today.
Yesterday's stage was a real show of force by SD Worx-ProTime as they took a 1-2 through Bredewold and Kopecky.
10 minutes to go until the start of the stage.
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.
Liane Lippert has looked good this week, as have Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Cedrine Kerbaol. The likes of Ricarda Bauernfeind, Monica Trinca Colonel and Evita Muzic could also challenge.
Lotte Kopecky is expected to struggle on the final climb, but the former world champion has done exceptional things in the mountains before.
Two riders have not started the stage today. They are Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Natalie Quinn (Mayenne Monbana My Pie).
There has been an early crash for Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ).
Two riders have attacked and opened up a 30 second lead in the early stages. Marine Allione (Mayenne-Monbana-MyPie) and Elisa Valtulini (Vini Fantini-BePink) are the riders who have separated themselves from the bunch.
A shot of the jersey-wearers on the front of the peloton waiting to get going in Gijón. .
The leading group has doubled in size. Gaia Masetti (Picnic-PostNL) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto-Intermarché Ladies) have joined to make a group of four.
The leading quartet have a lead of 50 seconds as they climb out of the city of Gijón.
No General Classification threats up the road. Allione is closest to the lead. She is 73rd overall with a deficit of 10:01 to Lotte Kopecky.
Whatever happens over the next two days, there will be a new winner of La Vuelta Feminina this year, with no former winners on the start-list.
Lotte Kopecky is in the lead heading into the final two stages, but the Belgian has admitted earlier this year that she is not in the same form which saw her climb to 2nd place in the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. SD Worx-ProTime will be focussed on Anna van der Breggen today as long as she recovers well from her crashes yesterday.
Not a good start to the stage for UAE Team ADQ. After Garcia's early crash, Paula Blasi has also come down. The youngster is back on her bike quickly and in the peloton.
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.
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.
Rondel has joined Van Alphen, but the pair still have over a minute to close.
The riders getting underway behind the commissaire's car earlier.
🏁 89 km | Etapa 6️⃣ - Stage 6️⃣ ⚡️ ¡Todas quieren la fuga! Tenemos 4 corredoras en cabeza... y otros dos grupos intercalados con el pelotón 🙌 ⚡️ Everyone wants to break away! We’ve got four riders up the road… with two more groups between them and the peloton 🤪… pic.twitter.com/2zVPKZGfboMay 8, 2026
The leaders now have 2:25 with the chasing pair remaining just over a minute behind.
Allione, Masetti, Vervloet and Valtulini are working well together so far.
Van Alphen remains in pursuit alongside Rondel.
Van Alphen and Rondel are starting to lose ground now. They are 1:19 behind the leaders.
It's a bit cold out there today, just 14 degrees celsius.
😍 Salida lanzada de la etapa 6️⃣... Y con la bandera verde llegan los primeros ataques 💥💪 Stage 6️⃣ is underway! And with the fall of the green flag we have a break! pic.twitter.com/bZnkgyBI3DMay 8, 2026
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.
"Now the fun begins," she said on the team's website after stage 5. "The first three stages were quite hard, but the last two have been passive. That’s given the GC riders time to recover. Physically, I feel good, and I hope to do my best. It’s going to be interesting. I have been thinking how to best ride the final steep climbs so that you don’t blow up. There haven’t been any decisive moments yet for the GC contenders, so I’m looking forward to the next two stages, and also the learnings that will come with them."
Plenty of the riders are wearing gilets and arm warmers at the moment and the skies are grey overhead.
The leaders have just ridden through the puebla of Villaviciosa. Next is a gentle 10km drag up to La Curciada.
Lotte Kopecky ensconced in the peloton as it whizzes down a brief section of Asturian coastline.
It's looking like a rather hopeless chase for Van Alphen and Rondel. They are over two minutes behind the lead now.
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.
As the riders continue to climb, the leaders now have 5 minutes of an advantage.
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.
In 25km, there will be a bonus sprint on top of a 2.3km climb, La Curciada.
Lidl-Trek, SD Worx-ProTime and Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto are all positioned well at the front as the peloton takes on a short descent.
It's been a gentle, formulaic day so far through Asturias. The finale will be anything but.
With the way things are going, the breakaway could take an advantage onto the final climb.
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.
A third UAE Team ADQ rider has had a crash. After Mavi Garcia and Paula Blasi had minor spills earlier on, Maeva Squiban is now on the floor and looks in a bad way.
The pace looks on in the peloton, with Liv-AlUla Jayco, SD Worx-ProTime, Lidl-Trek and EF Education-Oatly all on the front driving things forward.
The break is going through the town of Nava with a 3:44 advantage.
Race leader Lotte Kopecky is currently off the back of the peloton.
It appears that Kopecky has had some sort of problem and is quite a way off the back of the bunch. She is without any team-mates for the moment as SD Worx-ProTime look to protect Van der Breggen.
UAE Team ADQ's Squiban has abandoned the race after that crash.
After chasing all day, Van Alphen and Rondel have finally been caught by the peloton.
Paula Blasi is now returning to the back of the bunch after an issue.
Blasi has just joined the back of the Kopecky group. They are around 30 seconds in arrears of the peloton.
Movistar have come to the front of the peloton in numbers. Liane Lippert has looked excellent all week.
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.
The Kopecky group has made contact with the back of the bunch.
Blasi was dropped from the Kopecky group and is still chasing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
5km to go now until the bonus sprint.
For the first time in a long time, the break's advantage has dipped below two minutes.
Allione has dropped off the back of the breakaway, but is making an effort to return.
The riders are on the climb to La Curciada.
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.
Koch knows she can't challenge the very best on the climb, so she is seeking to take an advantage beforehand.
The Koch group has 20 seconds over the peloton, with EF Education First-Oatly leading the bunch.
Bredewold beats Koch in the sprint behind, taking points in the points classification.
Koch and Bredewold have now stopped working, with Koch eating into Kopecky's points lead.
Koch and Bredewold have stopped pedalling altogether and are waiting for the bunch.
All the focus is now on this brutal final climb. Let's look at the numbers. The Les Praeres climb is 3.9km long with an average gradient of 12.6%. That includes flatter sections near the top, with early parts of the climb hitting 17%.
It hasn't been a tough day up to now. It's been short too.
Hold onto your hats.
The front group is breaking apart now, with Masetti and Vervloet getting ahead of Allione and Vantulini.
Lidl-Trek are really getting behind German climber Ricarda Bauernfeind today. The 26 year old currently sits in 17th overall, 32 seconds behind Kopecky.
The end is near for this breakaway. The gap is now just 30 seconds as the peloton rail it on a wide, flat road.
Just 10 seconds for Masetti and Vervloet now.
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.
Red jersey Kopecky is now pulling on the front of the peloton as the breakaway is caught.
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.
Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner is on the front now as EF Education-Oatly gather around Cedrine Kerbaol, who currently sits in third overall.
The heavens have opened over the peloton. How will this impact things?
The riders are on a short but steep unclassified rise which is shredding the peloton.
Kopecky is also distanced.
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?
They are less than 2km from the climb now. Ferrand-Prévot is perfectly placed, as are Kerbaol, Niewiadoma and Van der Breggen.
Another short dig before Las Praeres. The group has thinned to around 25.
Descending to the foot of the climb now.
Kerbaol moves as soon as she gets to the climb. She has a small advantage and looks good.
These early pitches are the steepest on this climb.
Van der Breggen and the others are sitting back, measuring their effort as Kerbaol invests energy early.
Van der Breggen has reeled Kerbaol in with Niewiadoma on the wheel. Blasi is there too with Moolman Pasio and Berthe.
Ferrand-Prévot is dropped.
Marion Bunel is there for Visma-Lease a Bike after working for Ferrand-Prévot.
Van der Breggen is setting a tough pace on the front here.
Bunel just sitting a few bike-lengths off the front three. Berthet not far behind.
Van de Breggen continues and Niewiadoma is dropped. The Polish champion is losing a lot of ground.
Blasi is glued to Van der Breggen's wheel at the moment and Bunel is clawing her way back.
It's one of the most decorated riders of all time up against two of the sport's emerging talents.
Van der Breggen accelerates on the steepest section and breaks Blasi.
The SD Worx-ProTime rider is streaking clear now, but Blasi and Bunel haven't completely exploded yet.
Behind, Berthet has overtaken Niewiadoma. Ferrand-Prévot is way back.
Van der Breggen has around ten seconds over Blasi, who is just ahead of Bunel.
Niewiadoma is sinking backwards and out of the top-10. Trinca Colonel is now leading a small group just behind Berthet.
Blasi is currently holding the gap behind Van der Breggen. She is not losing any more ground.
Bunel is dropping away from Blasi now after setting just off her wheel for much of this climb.
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.
Trinca Colonel has moved into 4th ahead of Berthet.
They are on the flatter section now, but if anything, Van der Breggen is stretching away again.
A really impressive ride from Blasi here. She was untested on ascents like this before today.
They are on the steep stuff again and Van der Breggen is looking good. Blasi is 10 seconds down.
Blasi looks to be tiring now as her cadence slows. Van der Breggen's has remained consistent throughout and is opening the gap.
The lead remains around 10 seconds heading into the final few hundred metres.
Blasi was second, 8 seconds behind.
Third place for Bunel ahead of Berthet and Trinca Colonel.
Niewiadoma finishes over a minute behind.
Kerbaol, sitting 3rd coming into the stage, finishes 1:45 down. Ferrand-Prévot finished two minutes back.
Well today was all about the final 3.9km. Les Praeres served up a brutal finish and sets the scene for an even tougher final climb tomorrow up to the Alto de l'Angliru.
The GC is far from over, with Blasi just 18 seconds off Van der Breggen's lead heading into the final stage. Bunel is now third, 41 seconds down.
While Van der Breggen is queen of Les Praeres, we saw a bit of the future today, with break-out performances from 23-year-old Blasi and 21-year-old Bunel.
Here are the results from stage 6 of La Vuelta Feminina 2026, powered by FirstCycling.
And here's our full report from a brutal day in Asturias:
If today was difficult, tomorrow will be hellish as the peloton takes on the mighty Angliru for the first time in La Vuelta Feminina.
