Today, on the brutal slopes of Alto de l’Angliru, Paula Blasi wrote another page of history, becoming the first Spanish rider ever to win La Vuelta Femenina! Looking only at the stage-race editions, before her only two home riders had managed to finish inside the top 10: Ane Santesteban, 6th in 2022, and Mavi Garcia, 9th in 2023. Expanding the scope also to the former one-day races, we find Sheyla Gutiérrez and Alba Teruel finishing 5th and 10th in 2017, while Gutiérrez herself placed 10th back in 2015.
If we widen the view to all women’s Grand Tours, we have to go back to 2000 to find a Spanish winner, when Joane Somarriba, still the most successful Spanish female cyclist in history, conquered the Giro d’Italia for the second consecutive year.
In less than a month, the UAE rider, who wasn’t even a cyclist just three years ago, has already written two historic pages for Spanish cycling: first her triumph at Amstel Gold Race, then this unforgettable home Grand Tour victory.
And there’s more: at just 23 years old, Paula Blasi also became the youngest winner of a women’s Grand Tour since 2004, when a 21-year-old Nicole Cooke claimed the Giro d’Italia title. In an incredibly short time, Blasi has already achieved remarkable results… and who knows what could come next. A new star is born!