Noemi Rüegg Sprints to Red Jersey at La Vuelta Femenina

“I can’t really believe it. It’s just a dream to win a Grand Tour stage. The team believed in me so much, more than I did. It was a big goal to go for the win, it’s insane to finish it off like this, I don’t know what to say,” said Rüegg after the finish.

A final shaped by chaos

For most of the 113.9km stage from Marín to Salvaterra de Miño, the race followed a familiar rhythm. It was controlled, with short-lived moves and a steady pace across rolling terrain.

That changed inside the final 10 kilometres.

Zobrazit příspěvek na Instagramu

Příspěvek sdílený La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es (@lavueltafem)

A tight hairpin, followed by a wet and technical descent, stretched the peloton and triggered crashes. Riders were forced to brake hard, gaps opened, and the race split.

“It was a hectic day because it was raining from the start. The descents were really tricky and slippery. In the last descent, we saw a few crashes as well, that is always hard to see when you’re racing, I hope everyone’s fine. But we just stuck to the plan, focused on the final and finished it off.”

Resetting for the sprint

A small group went clear after the disruption, including riders from FDJ-SUEZ, but EF Education-Oatly committed fully to bringing it back.

With 4.5km to go, the race was reset and positioned for a sprint that wasn’t entirely flat.

The final 300 metres tilted upward, just enough to reward timing over raw speed.

“This finish was perfect for me, if I could draw my dream stage, it would end exactly like this. I knew I could trust on a long sprint, from the last corner I wanted to go all in. The team put me in a great position, and then I just went all out. I had a gap immediately, then I looked back and saw I can make it to the finish. It was like a dream,” said Rüegg.

Out of the final corner, it came down to three: Rüegg, Lotte Kopecky and Franziska Koch.

They hit the incline almost level. Rüegg launched first, 175 metres from the line, and held it. No hesitation, no second move. Just one long sprint to the finish.