The beautiful team presentation that took place on Saturday evening, April 27, 2024 in the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia gave fans of women’s cycling a taste of what awaits them over the next 8 days in La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es. 145 riders from 32 countries participate in this Vuelta. The competition is broadcast in no fewer than 190 countries around the world.
Shine in Valencia
Despite a slightly cold breeze that increased the cloud cover, the final preparatory activities for La Vuelta Femenina 24 went smoothly. Thanks to the sunny peloton and its many followers. Valencia’s Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias was the ideal location for both the headquarters and the team presentation. The team presentation could count on a special turnout of spectators, animated by the music of DJ Neus González. After almost 2 hours, Eurosport journalist Laura Álvarez and cycling specialist Celia López came on stage to introduce the teams and their riders one by 1, to the delight of a large crowd of fans.
16 decisive kilometers
La Vuelta Femenina 24 starts this Sunday with a 16 km team time trial, the only one in the UCI Women’s WorldTour this season. Start and finish are in Valencia’s Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, after which the TTT leaves the city and immediately heads south towards the Albufera Natural Park, later making a U-turn and driving back along exactly the same road. “It will cause some differences,” predicts race director Fernando Escartín. “Technically it is not demanding, but it will still require a lot of strength. There will be a crosswind and that will be to the advantage of the teams that manage to form a close unit.”
Escartín believes that this stage can be important for the final result. “It can determine the match,” he emphasizes. “Anyone who loses a minute in the TTT will have difficulty gaining it back. On this year’s route there is no mountain as tough as the Lagos de Covadonga, which determined the race in 2023, and so the differences between the top riders will be very small. It is very likely that the final podium will be decided on the final climb to Valdesquí.”
From Mavi to Kagevi
Most of the top competitors from the 1st edition of La Vuelta Femenina will return this 2024 season. Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-Protime) and Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) each achieved 2 day successes last year, while Charlotte Kool (Team dsm firmenich-PostNL) and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) each achieved 1 victory. booked. Spanish national champion Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) is, at 40 years and 118 days, the oldest of the 145 participants. In our recent interview you could read why she still wants to perform at this level.
On the other hand, Stina Kagevi (Team Coop-Repsol) is only 18 years and 244 days ‘young’. No fewer than 32 countries are represented on the starting list, the Netherlands is the country with more riders in the bunch, no fewer than 31. Of the 14 countries that only see 1 rider represented, China stands out. Winspace’s Xin Tang will be the very first Chinese rider to participate in La Vuelta Femenina, including the old version La Challenge by La Vuelta.
Movistar, defending champion without prospects
The 1st edition of La Vuelta Femenina was won last year 2023 by Annemiek van Vleuten, just like the 7th and 8th editions of La Challenge by La Vuelta, making it 3 overall victories in a row for Movistar Team in the largest stage race in Spain. However, in 2024 the chances of a 4th overall victory in a row are small, because Van Vleuten hung up his bike last winter. “We have no clear GC prospects,” Movistar Team sports director Jorge Sanz makes no bones about it. “Our race plans have changed considerably compared to last year, we will only aim for a good classification in the run-up to the final stage in Madrid.”
Olivia Baril from Canada and Mareille Meijering from the Netherlands, who won the Vuelta a Extremadura in March, are the best climbers on the team. “We also have a number of spirited riders who are well capable of competing for stage victories.” Among them, Tour de France Femmes stage winners Liane Lippert and Emma Norsgaard. The German is returning from a stress fracture in her hip, the Danish from an altitude internship in the Sierra Nevada. “Our goal is to participate in every stage,” says Sanz. “I hope we will see a very aggressive Movistar Team all week.”
Revenge for Vollering?
After absolute dominance in 2023, Team SD Worx-Protime is once again experiencing a successful season, culminating in Lotte Kopecky’s triumph in Paris-Roubaix. Nevertheless, one of the riders has difficulty finding the drive that allowed her to take 17 victories last year and come very close to the final victory in the Vuelta. Demi Vollering has not yet raised her arms this season and did not even come close to repeating her Ardens success from last year. She admits that this makes her increasingly disappointed, culminating in her sprint loss last Sunday in Liège-Bastogne-Liège (3rd). An experience she described on her Instagram profile as ‘painful’. Another figure to look out for in the SD Worx line-up is Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser, who returns after suffering a broken jaw in a fall at the Tour of Flanders.
Global reach
Nearly 190 territories around the world will enjoy La Vuelta Femenina 24. The 2-hour live signal provided for each stage will be broadcast free of charge by RTVE/Teledeporte, Gol Televisión, Canal Sur and Aragón TV in Spain, while Eurosport it will offer on its platforms and channels across Europe. Furthermore, the race will be broadcast live on RTBF (Belgium), TV2 (Denmark), NOS (Netherlands), TV2 (Norway), Flobikes (Canada), NBCSN / Peacock (USA), ESPN (Latin America), Eurosport Asia & GCN (Asia), SBS (Australia), JSports (Japan), Supersport (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Abu Dhabi Sports (MENA).
Those who miss the live broadcast can find clips and highlights of the race in many other media and platforms, including the official social media channels lavueltafem (hashtag LaVueltaFemenina ) where a 5 to 8 minute highlights report is released every day in both English and Spanish. Finally, fans can find all the information and follow the match live on the official website lavueltafemenina.es. Enjoy!
Tags: Vuelta Femenina starts today Sunday April fun facts week
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