Ambitious Team Jumbo-Visma Women looks forward to Vuelta Femenina
Team Jumbo-Visma Women will compete in the ninth edition of the Vuelta Femenina from Monday 1st to Sunday 7th May. The first of three grand tours on this year's calendar features seven days of racing, including a team time trial. Riejanne Markus and sports director Carmen Small look ahead.
The Vuelta Femenina is undergoing some changes this year. Spain's most prominent stage race first appeared on the calendar in 2015, then as a one-day race in Madrid on the final day of the men's Vuelta. The race has gradually expanded; until last year, it consisted of five stages in September. This year, the Vuelta Femenina takes place in May, and the riders will race seven stages.
On Monday in Torrevieja, a 14.5-kilometre team time trial will kick off the women's Tour of Spain. According to Markus, the race against the clock on a flat course is immediately something to look forward to. "It is very nice to be able to start the Vuelta with a team time trial. Although it is exciting. Not every rider in the selection has experience with this type of time trial. So we scheduled a training session after the Amstel Gold Race to prepare for this discipline. It went well, so we are very confident."
Sports director Carmen Small is aiming for a top-five result on day one. "A team time trial doesn't happen often in a season, so it wasn't our main focus. We will try to set a good time to start the next stages without losing time. We have strong riders on the team who have the qualities to ride a technically good time trial. A good finishing time is definitely possible."
"Performances in the Amstel and Liège have given me some extra confidence"
The team time trial will be followed by two flat stages. On the fourth day, the race involves climbing, with the highlight being the climbs of the Lagos de Covadonga in the final stage. "I'm looking forward to the team time trial, but the last four stages are definitely the ones I've got my eyes on", said Markus, who finished 15th in the 2021 Vuelta. "The goal is to get a good classification and to do better than two years ago. I hope to be in the top five. The altitude training at the beginning of the month was good for me, so my form is excellent. My performances in Amstel and Liège have given me extra confidence for the coming week."
"We are looking forward to seeing what riders like Riejanne and Amber (Kraak) can do in the mountain stages", Small added. "With them, we can have another good final classification. We will also try to be competitive in the sprint stages with Marianne (Vos) and Coryn (Labecki). We will take it one day at a time. The women are in good shape after the spring. I see an extremely motivated team that wants to go all the way."
Team Jumbo-Visma's selection for the Vuelta Femenina consists of Marianne Vos, Riejanne Markus, Amber Kraak, Coryn Labecki, Noemi Rüegg, Anna Henderson and Eva van Agt.
