She’s back! Wiebes outsprints teammate Kopecky to win stage 1 of the Vuelta a Burgos

After La Vuelta Femenina and the Itzulia Women, the next Spanish stage race is already underway for the women’s peloton. The first three stages feature plenty of climbing, followed by a nearly ten-kilometer time trial to close out the race. A course like this seems tailor-made for Lotte Kopecky, who is making her return to racing this week.

The 125-kilometer opener through the rolling Spanish countryside quickly saw splits in the bunch. Two riders managed to break clear, followed by two chasers, including the well-known Ally Wollaston. The chasing duo looked like they might bridge the gap early, but with 100 kilometers still to go, the break had not yet been caught. Meanwhile, the leading pair had already built up a three-minute advantage over the peloton.

With 90 kilometers remaining, the two chasers were reeled back in by the peloton, while the gap to the leading duo had stretched to over five minutes. As the margin continued to grow, another rider attempted to bridge across, but that solo move was quickly shut down.

At the 75-kilometer mark, Morgane Coston managed to drop her breakaway companion Idoia Eraso on one of the uphill drags. The separation did not last long though, as the two soon regrouped. Together, they entered the final 70 kilometers of the stage with a lead of just over five minutes.

With 60 kilometers to go, the leading duo still held a gap of over five minutes. For a brief moment, thoughts turned to early March, when a breakaway surprisingly held on in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, outsmarting the favorites. But this time, that scenario was not to be repeated, as the gap began to shrink quickly, largely due to the work of SD Worx.

The Dutch squad took control at the front to set things up for Lorena Wiebes, the top favorite for the stage win. As the kilometers ticked down, a sprint finish looked increasingly likely. With 45 kilometers remaining, the lead had dropped below two minutes, and just ten kilometers later, the peloton was back together.

As the early attackers were brought back, the peloton stretched into a long line. That opened the door for a select group including Kopecky, Wiebes and Elisa Longo Borghini to break away. Their lead quickly grew to around 30 seconds while the chasing teams in the bunch did everything they could to close the gap.

Eventually, the break was reeled in by what was now a heavily reduced peloton. But there was no time to breathe. Célia Gery and Steffi Häberlin launched a new move with fifteen kilometers to go and quickly gained nearly a minute. With eight kilometers left, they still held a solid gap, but the chase was on.

The duo’s advantage steadily decreased and with five kilometers to go, it was down to just thirty seconds. They were finally caught before the flamme rouge. In the sprint that followed, it was Wiebes who powered to victory once again, leaving no doubt about who was strongest.