La Vuelta Femenina continues with another undulating stage, despite the absence of classified climbs. Major news came even before the start, with Marianne Vos withdrawing with a broken collarbone due to yesterday’s crash. The breakaway formed after 45km, featuring Schrempf, van de Velde, Meert, Casagranda and Rondel. Peloton never allowed them much room, and their move ended 40km later, just enough for Schrempf to take the intermediate sprint. A very chaotic phase then began, with multiple short-lived attacks animating the race and various teams alternating at the front.
With 14 km to go, Katrine Aalerud exploited a quiet phase to attack. Just one km later, race leader Noemi Rüegg crashed heavily, also bringing down white jersey Eleonora Ciabocco. Unfortunately, the Swiss champion was unable to continue the race. The finale featured a 4-5 km uphill drag with gradients between 4-6%. SD Worx set a controlled tempo for Kopecky, putting the less resilient sprinters under pressure. Near the top, Paula Blasi tried to attack but failed to make a difference.
The stage was eventually decided in a reduced bunch sprint. SD Worx opened the sprint, but as Kopecky launched her effort she moved slightly to the left and collided with Bossuyt, losing momentum. Shari Bossuyt, instead, managed to stay upright and powered to the biggest victory of her career, the first at WWT level, beating Franziska Koch and Evita Muzic. Paternoster and Van Dam rounded out the top five.
With Rüegg out of the race, Franziska Koch takes over La Roja, leading the GC by 6" over Bossuyt and 10" over Kopecky.