2023 La Vuelta Femenina
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| 2023 UCI Women's World Tour, race 15 of 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 1–7 May | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 741[1] km (460 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 19h 00' 11" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2023 La Vuelta Femenina (officially La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es) was the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina, a cycling stage race which takes place in Spain. The race took place from 1 to 7 May 2023, and was the 15th event in the 2023 UCI Women's World Tour.
The race was organised by Unipublic and Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which also organises the men's Vuelta a España. La Vuelta Femenina replaced the stage race (previously one day race) Challenge by La Vuelta, which was staged at the same time as the men's tour.
The race was won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten of Movistar Team, making her the first woman to win all three of the major stage races in women's cycling (La Vuelta Femenina, Tour de France Femmes and Giro Donne). She beat her Dutch rival Demi Vollering of SD Worx by just nine seconds, with Italian Gaia Realini of Trek–Segafredo in third place.
12 UCI Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited, joined by 12 UCI Women's Continental Teams (9 of them from Spain). The teams were announced on 3 March 2023.[2] Each team will have seven riders.[3]
On 26 April, Zaaf Cycling Team withdrew their entry following allegations of unpaid wages.[4] Two days later, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) revoked Zaaf's licence as they lacked the required number of riders.[5] 23 teams therefore took part in the race.[6][4]
UCI Women's WorldTeams
UCI Women's Continental Teams
Route and stages
In February 2023, the route was announced by race director Fernando Escartín,[7] who also confirmed that the race will be sponsored by supermarket Carrefour.[8] The race was the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina, however, the media noted that the race had grown from the previous Challenge by La Vuelta races.[9]
The race started in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca[10] with a team time trial, before heading north with stages through Castilla–La Mancha, Community of Madrid and Castile and León. The final two stages took place in Cantabria and Asturias, with a decisive final climb up the Lagos de Covadonga, a 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) ascent with an average gradient of 7.4%.[7][11][12] The first rider to the top of the Lagos de Covadonga climb was awarded the Cima Estela Domínguez,[13] honouring the Spanish rider who was killed while training in 2023.[14]
The previous Challenge by La Vuelta events had been criticised by the women's peloton for not being challenging enough.[15] Three-time Giro Donne winner and 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten praised the 2023 route, calling it "a very complete Vuelta",[16] and welcomed that the inclusion of the Lagos de Covadonga climb on the final stage, stating "to end in such a famous location is essential for the race".[17]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 May | Torrevieja | 14.5 km (9.0 mi) |  |
Team time trial |  Team Jumbo–Visma |
| 2 | 2 May | Orihuela to Pilar de la Horadada | 105.8 km (65.7 mi) |  |
Flat stage | Charlotte Kool (NED) |
| 3 | 3 May | Elche de la Sierra to La Roda | 158 km (98 mi) | |
Flat stage | Marianne Vos (NED) |
| 4 | 4 May | Cuenca to Guadalajara | 133.1 km (82.7 mi) |  |
Hilly stage | Marianne Vos (NED) |
| 5 | 5 May | La Cabrera to Mirador de Peñas Llanas, Riaza | 129.2 km (80.3 mi) |  |
Mountain stage | Demi Vollering (NED) |
| 6 | 6 May | Castro Urdiales to Laredo | 106.7 km (66.3 mi) |  |
Medium-mountain stage |  Gaia Realini (ITA) |
| 7 | 7 May | Pola de Siero to Lagos de Covadonga | 93.7 km (58.2 mi) | |
Mountain stage | Demi Vollering (NED) |
| Total | 741 km (460 mi) | |||||
Race overview
Prior to the start of the race, Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Gaia Realini, Mavi García, Kasia Niewiadoma and Juliette Labous were all named as pre-race favourites for the general classification (GC),[19][20] with Charlotte Kool, Emma Norsgaard and Marianne Vos tipped for the points classification.[20] Potential contender for the general classification Elisa Longo Borghini announced that she would miss the race due to a stomach bug.[21]
For the first time in 2023, each team had 7 riders following a UCI rule change mandating this for events longer than six days.[22] The Zaaf Cycling Team withdrew their entry prior to the start of the event following allegations of unpaid wages.[4] Consequently, 161 riders from 23 teams were present at the start of the race.[4]
