A crash on the final descent of the Vuelta Femenina's opening stage disrupted the run-in to the line, but EF Education-Oatly never faltered. The American team delivered its Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg into the perfect position, and when the Tour Down Under winner started her sprint, no one came close. Rüegg crossed the line with over a bike length to spare in front of Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez).
Rüegg will wear the red leader's jersey into the second stage on the same time as Koch – who won the bonus sprint – and with a four-second advantage over Kopecky.
Brief stage results
[race_result id=9058 stage_id=90148 count=5 gc=0 year=2026]
GC after stage 1
[race_result id=9058 stage_id=90148 count=5 gc=5 year=2026]
How it happened
- Rain fell on the peloton for the opening stage of La Vuelta Femenina. The peloton split on the wet roads, as more damage was done by the conditions and the rolling terrain than by any attacks. While there were some early attempts from Vini Fantini-BePink, one of the Continental teams in the race, the main peloton went into the final 25 km together. Only a small group of riders, which included Gaia Realini of Lidl-Trek, trailed behind.
- The intermediate sprint with 23 km remaining was hotly contested, with Koch taking full points and six bonus seconds. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) was second with Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) third.
- Within the final 12 km, teams started to organize and find each other in the peloton. A tricky descent awaited the riders with just over 8 km to go. On this descent, a crash split the peloton, with Juliette Berthet, Koch, and Ferrand-Prévot in a five-rider move off the front.
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