Cycling - La Vuelta Femenina 2025 - Stage 4 highlights... the first GC battle

Cyclism'Actu TV

07/05/2025

Elle est définitvement de retour ! Après 3 ans sans compétition, Anna van der Breggen a signé son premier succès depuis son "comeback" ce mercredi à l'occasion de la 4e étape de La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es ! Dans un final tactique, la Néerlandaise du Team SD Worx - Protime a piégé un petit groupe de favoris pour venir s'imposer en solitaire dans les rues de Borja. Elle reprend ainsi du temps à ses concurrentes au classement général, alors que sa coéquipière Femke Gerritse conserve elle son maillot rouge. En revanche, mauvaise opération pour Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), qui a été distancée dans la dernière ascension du jour et qui a concédé 26 secondes sur van der Breggen.

Vidéo : @LaVueltaFem

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00:00We took the lead, I think, with 2K to go, and Amma and Misha, they are just so, so amazing

00:14because they kept on going and going, and I could stay calm, and it was really the perfect

00:18lead-out.

00:19Welcome to Stage 4 of La Vuelta Femenina.

00:31Femke Gerica took control of the race yesterday with a fantastic sprint, but the GC picture

00:37is set for another shake-up on this fourth stage.

00:40It's certainly an unpredictable one.

00:42Two climbs on the menu, including one that tops out with just 12.5km to go before a downhill

00:48sweep to the finish line.

00:50Is it going to be a day for the breakaway, or will the overall favourites be laying down

00:54the law?

00:55I don't think the breakaway will make it to the finish today, but I also don't think

01:00that it's a stage for the GC riders.

01:04I think it's going to come down to a reduced group of fast riders.

01:10Nearly 112km today between Pedrola and Borja as we continue to sweep our way west across

01:16northern Spain.

01:18There's also a chance of more echelons in the final, so we can expect a nervous peloton.

01:23And if the pace is high on the Puerto del Buste, it's likely to be a small group contesting

01:28the win.

01:29Well, there were attacks left, right and centre once the flag dropped.

01:32But the consequence of that was that after 50km of racing, when the TV cameras started

01:37rolling, there was still no breakaway.

01:40The peloton just embarking on the day's first climb, the Alto de Moncaio, 5.5k at 5.5%,

01:46which would start to thin out this bunch.

01:49Liv Alula-Jeyko and Lidl Trek on the front of the peloton, just setting a steady tempo.

01:53Well, there were five non-starters this morning, meaning there are now 137 riders in this Vuelta

01:59Femenina, currently being led by Gerritzer, just staying safely on the wheel of her leader,

02:04Anna van der Breyken, in the bunch.

02:081.8km from the summit, Erika Magnaldi made a move.

02:12The UAE Team ADQ rider began the day a minute and 40 seconds down, and she was perhaps thinking

02:17of targeting the mountains jersey.

02:20But she wasn't allowed to go far, quickly reeled back in by the other GC teams.

02:25And in the end, it was Justine Gicchiere of AG Insurance Sudal who snaffled the 10 points

02:30at the summit, as she became the virtual queen of the mountains.

02:34They all came back together again on the descent, with the GC favourites up towards the front

02:39as they continued to set a high tempo.

02:43We've seen plenty of Kristin Faulkner already this week, and the Olympic and American champion

02:47was soon back on the front for EF Education Oatley.

02:51The average pace is still pretty high, but no moves off the fronts.

02:55The intermediate sprints have been lively so far this week, and today was no exception.

02:59The Dutch trio of Gerritzer, Marianne Vos and Demi Follering all eyeing up the bonus

03:04seconds.

03:05Well, here comes Vos with a run.

03:07Who's going to be able to time that one?

03:09I think Vos.

03:10Oh, that was very close.

03:11Got to go to the photograph.

03:12Well, she's shaking her head.

03:13I think that was an indication that she didn't quite get there in time.

03:17Gerritzer slightly increasing her lead, and it was interesting to see following up there.

03:21The defending champion began the day 23 seconds down, but where would she finish it?

03:27The pelotons still tightly packed together as they approached the decisive final climb.

03:31And on the lower slopes of the Puerto del Buste, FDJ Suez took control, with Ali Wollaston

03:37and Juliette the Boost pacing for Vollering.

03:39The pace proving too much for the non-climbers like Ellen van Dijk, our first race leader.

03:45Movistar and Visma Lisa bike also shifting up towards the front as the road continued to rise.

03:50Well, Movistar's Liana Lippert doing some real damage as she took over at the front, reducing

03:58the peloton to a group of favourites.

04:00Evita Muzik leading Follering over the summit, and the Dutch woman even tried to attack on

04:05the descent, but she couldn't get a gap.

04:08Seventeen riders now in this front group with Follering, including Vos, Van der Brechen, Nuevia

04:13Domer, Royce, Garcia, Royakas and Kerbayo.

04:18A bit further back a chase group had formed, with Pauline Ferronprevo and Gerritzer who was

04:22fighting to keep hold of her red jersey.

04:26It looked for all the world like we were heading for a reduced bunch sprint, but Van der Brechen

04:30had other ideas.

04:31The former time trial world champion leaving the rest of the front group in her dust as

04:36she raced her way into Borja.

04:38The rest of the group chasing furiously, but Van der Brechen isn't an easy woman to catch

04:43when she sets her mind to it, and she still had a decent gap heading into the final kilometre.

04:49A beautifully timed, opportunistic move, and wonderfully executed effort here from Anna

04:55van der Brechen.

04:57She's going to go into it with the stage honours.

04:59Van der Brechen, of the Estewerk squad, second successive victory for the all-conquering Dutch

05:06registered team.

05:07And it is the Netherlands, Anna van der Brechen, who raises her arms aloft for the first time

05:13this year.

05:14She takes the victory.

05:18Van der Brechen came out of retirement at the start of 2025 after three years away from

05:22the professional peloton, and today she sent out a clear message to her rivals, I'm back.

05:31The 35-year-old taking her first win since July 2021 when she conquered the Giro, and it'll

05:37be fascinating to see how she gets on in the mountains.

05:40I did not expect this at all.

05:42It was also not the plan, but yeah, we were with a small group in the downhill, and at that

05:47point I was alone, and I don't know, the speed was out, and I saw a good moment, so I went,

05:54and I did not expect to arrive solo, but it feels really nice.

06:01Van der Brechen taking her 63rd career win by 12 seconds, with Vos leading in the chasers,

06:07and no doubt ruining a missed opportunity.

06:09Gerritzer managed to get back to that group, with Ferron Prevo coming in at 26 seconds.

06:15It's now an SD works 1-2 atop the GC, with Gerritzer still in red, and leading her teammate

06:20Van der Brechen by four seconds.

06:22Vos is third at 10 seconds, with Follering at 21.

06:26Vos was second today, so she extends her lead in green.

06:30The Dutch legend is 38 points clear of her compatriot, Gerritzer.

06:34We also have a new Queen of the Mountains in Evita Muzik.

06:37The former French champion is now leading the way on 20 points.

06:42And speaking of the mountains, tomorrow we'll see us hit the heights, with a summit finish

06:46on Lagunas de Nela.

06:48It promises a superb GC battle, so do join us again on Thursday, and thanks for watching.

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