10th May – Stage 7: La Robla – Alto de Cotobello
On the final day, it was time for the queen stage of the Vuelta Femenina. This 152.6-kilometre stage was a relentless uphill battle for the peloton, culminating in the Alto de Cotobello: 10.3 kilometres long with an average gradient of 8.3 percent. Earlier in the day, the riders also had to conquer the Colladona and Colladiella climbs. A true war of attrition to bring the first Grand Tour of the year to a close.
The first half of the stage was marked by a flurry of attacks, but the peloton — with Team Picnic PostNL well represented — managed to reel in every move. On the first categorised climb of the day, the Colladona, all team riders held their position comfortably within the bunch. However, things ramped up on the second ascent, where a brutal pace thinned the peloton considerably. By the summit, only about 20 riders remained in the lead group, including Nienke Vinke and Mara Roldan for Team Picnic PostNL. Ahead of the decisive final climb, the rest of the team managed to find their way back into the peloton. But once the road tilted up again on the Alto de Cotobello, the pace immediately skyrocketed and it turned into a true battle of attrition.
With around five kilometres to go, Vinke had to let go of the red jersey group. She fought on all the way to the line and crossed it in a strong 10th place. Her efforts earned her a 9th place overall finish in her second Vuelta España Femenina, a result to be proud of.
After the stage, Vinke said: “It was a long stage today, cold and rainy towards the end. But our teamwork was absolutely on point, just like it has been all week. Early in the stage, Megan, Pfeiffer, Josie and Franzi were sharp in covering attacks, and they kept positioning Mara, Eleonora and me really well. Then we faced two tough climbs before heading into the final ascent. The whole team climbed strongly and gave everything. After those climbs, all of our riders had made it back, which meant Eleonora and I had plenty of support going into the finale. A super strong team effort today. On the final climb, the girls dropped Eleonora and me off at the front. I tried to follow as long as I could, but eventually I had to ride my own pace to avoid blowing up. I’m happy with how I felt today. The last few days I hadn’t been feeling great, but today I found my good legs again. It’s nice to end the week with a top 10 finish. Unfortunately, Eleonora had an off day, which is a real shame because she was in a great position on GC. But next week is already a new opportunity for her, and I’m sure she’ll do well in Itzulia. All in all, I think we can be proud of how we raced together this week. Everyone gave everything for the team!”
Team Picnic PostNL Coach Albert Timmer added: “It’s been a great week. We came here with a plan to see what Nienke could achieve in the general classification, and with a 9th place finish and the best young rider award, that goal has been more than accomplished. Eleonora also had a strong performance. But above all, we really raced as a team. There was a lot of commitment and grit, and everyone played an important role. Thanks to the strong teamwork, we also secured 3rd place in the team classification, which is a great achievement for such a young team.”
