Having led her Lidl-Trek teammates throughout the TTT end line, Gaia Realini is the primary GC chief of the 2024 Vuelta Femenina. But it’s removed from sure that she will hold the crimson jersey on stage 2, 118.3km from Bunol to Moncofa.
Six, 4, and two bonus seconds can be found for the primary three riders on the intermediate dash in Alfara de la Baronia after 91 kilometres, and ten bonus seconds can be awarded to the stage winner in Moncofa, with six seconds for the runner-up and 4 seconds for third place. In whole, a single rider may gather as much as 16 seconds of time bonifications on stage 2.
This signifies that a number of riders have an opportunity to take the crimson jersey from Realini and Lidl-Trek. The most harmful risk comes from Marianne Vos. Along with 4 of her Visma-Lease a Bike teammates, the 36-year-old famous person is just 0.09 seconds behind. Vos had three days within the crimson jersey in final yr’s version, inheriting the lead from her teammate Anna Henderson on stage 2 and successful two levels within the chief’s jersey.
Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) is one second behind and will additionally threaten Realini. On paper, her probabilities should not fairly nearly as good as Vos’, however Vas has a very good flip of pace and a really robust crew to assist her within the quest for bonus seconds on the primary levels.
Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM) and Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) face a tougher activity as they’re eight and 9 seconds down, respectively, however not like Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) who’s 12 seconds behind, they might make up their total deficit by successful the stage.
Even if no one from one other crew leapfrogs Realini, the chief’s jersey should still change palms inside the Lidl-Trek crew: Lizzie Deignan, Brodie Chapman, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Amanda Spratt are all on the identical time as Realini, and whoever of those 5 finishes greatest on stage 2 would transfer to the highest of the intra-team rating and presumably take the general lead.
16 GC contenders inside 17 seconds
Realini and Longo Borghini additionally lead the rating of GC favourites, having taken little however maybe necessary time on their rivals. Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) is closest at 0.09 seconds, adopted by SD Worx-Protime’s Demi Vollering and Niamh Fisher-Black at one second.
Canyon-SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadoma, Ricarda Bauernfeind, and Antonia Niedermaier sit at eight seconds whereas Kim Cadzow, Kristen Faulkner (each EF Education-Cannondale) and Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) are 9 seconds behind.
Mavi García (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) follows at ten seconds, with Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ), Liane Lippert, and Olivia Baril (each Movistar Team) one other two seconds down. Juliette Labous (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) is 17 seconds behind.
There is then an even bigger hole to Sarah Gigante and Justine Ghekiere (each AG Insurance-Soudal) at 32 seconds, adopted by Tamara Dronova (Roland) at 42 seconds and Fenix-Deceuninck’s Pauliena Rooijakkers and Yara Kastelijn at 48 seconds.
UAE Team ADQ’s Mikayla Harvey and Erica Magnaldi are respectively 56 seconds and one minute behind, and Sabrina Stultiens (VolkerWessels) is one other second behind Magnaldi. Human Powered Health’s Henrietta Christie is 1:13 minutes down on Realini, Clara Koppenburg (EF Education-Cannondale) is one other second behind and will forgo her personal GC ambitions in favour of supporting the better-placed Cadzow and Faulkner.
