Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women targets stage wins at Vuelta España Femenina
The first Grand Tour of the cycling season is set to take place in Spain next week. Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women heads to the Vuelta España Femenina with a strong lineup, aiming for stage victories. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and sports director Jos van Emden look ahead together.
After a spring filled with one-day classics, including podium finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Ferrand-Prévot now shifts her focus to stage racing. At the Vuelta España Femenina, the French rider is primarily focused on her development. “I want to improve as a Grand Tour rider.”
The twelfth edition of the Spanish stage race begins on Sunday, May 3, and finishes seven days later on the iconic Angliru climb. The opening days are expected to offer plenty of opportunities for the fast riders, before the general classification is decided in the final weekend when the serious climbing begins.
"I’m here to make progress as a stage racer"
“The Angliru will be decisive”, Van Emden predicts. “The penultimate stage also finishes on a steep climb. The earlier stages are more similar in profile, and that’s where we’ll go all-in for stage wins. That’s our main goal this week. Of course, Marianne will be our key rider for those finishes, but we also have other options to show ourselves in the opening stages.”
The sports director, for example, points to Sarah Van Dam. The 24-year-old Canadian has enjoyed a strong start to the season in yellow and black and is preparing for her first Vuelta España Femenina. “Sarah is a rider who strengthens us across the board and gives us another card to play. She’s had a very consistent spring, and I expect her to play an important role in several finales.”
"We will go all-in for stage wins this week"
“But it should come as no surprise that we have Marianne firmly marked for a number of stages”, Van Emden continues. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader has started the race in Spain in each of the past three editions, taking two stage wins each time. Together with compatriot Demi Vollering, she shares the record for most stage victories in the Vuelta. “A seventh win would be fantastic, of course.”
Ferrand-Prévot also sees the first Grand Tour of the season as an important race. “Of course, we’re aiming for the best possible result and want to win a stage. As a team, we’ll have to work well together to make that happen. I hope to play my part in that.”
“Personally, I’m also here to make progress as a stage racer. Everything I do here is aimed at improving, with our main goal of the season in mind: the Tour de France Femmes. Just like last year, I want to show my very best level there”, Ferrand-Prévot concludes.
Sports director Van Emden adds: “After a strong spring, this is her first real preparation for racing for general classifications again. There’s still work to be done, but we know that. It will be important for her to get a full week of racing under her belt in Spain. I’m looking forward to a great week.”
Alongside Ferrand-Prévot, Vos, and Van Dam, Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women will start the first Grand Tour of the year with Lieke Nooijen, Marion Bunel, Maud Oudeman, and Imogen Wolff.
