Vuelta a Burgos Feminas 2021 – Stage 4 [FULL STAGE] (ladies)

May 23, 2021

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas 2021 – Stage 4 – Dunkerque – Iwuy : 197,1 km

The Vuelta a Burgos Féminas is a four-day stage race held in the province of Burgos, an area of northern Spain renowned for its undulating terrain, sun-baked landscapes and imposing mountain passes. The race first debuted back in 2015 but until 2018 it was held as a national-level event, meaning it was bypassed by most big-name pros in the peloton. In 2019, however, it was recognised by the UCI and assigned a 2.1 rating. This landmark edition saw riders from all over the world descend on Burgos to compete and, as a result, the race’s popularity boomed. In 2021 it was added to the Women’s WorldTour calendar. The latter was originally due to take place first and kick off two exciting weeks of stage racing in mid-May, but after being cancelled the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas assumed its place as the first WorldTour-ranked stage race of the season. The multi-day event consists of four stages held within the province of Burgos. The 2021 race, however, is aiming to break this predictable cycle by including a brutal summit finish on the final day of racing. This summit finish will take place on the infamous climb to Lagunas de Neila, a climb that is often used on the Queen stage of the men’s race.

Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx) won stage 4 of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, finishing atop the 12.5-kilometre climb to Lagunas de Neila. On a challenging climb, only European champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) could stay with the world champion to the finish line, but Van der Breggen countered Van Vleuten’s sprint to take the stage win and the overall victory in the Spanish Women’s WorldTour stage race.

Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) came across the line in third place, followed by Pauliena Rooijakkers (Liv Racing), Clara Koppenburg (Rally Cycling), and Katrine Aalerud (Movistar Team), who had been in a big group of 30 riders that got away 50km from the finish.

“We needed to do something, the group in front had a lot of time at the beginning of the climb. We had Anna Shackley and Karol-Ann Canuel there, that was really good. But then Shackley was dropped from the first, so Karol started to do some work, and then Demi did a lot of work with a high speed. It was hard until the finish, and it was really steep in the end. I tried to make the best of it, and it worked out. I was feeling well, so I was waiting and had something left to counter an attack. In the end, I put the speed up a bit and it was enough to win,” the overall winner recounted the final climb,” Van der Breggen said.

“It is a really nice climb, it is good to have a climb like this in the race. I think it was also a bit of a waiting game in the stages until now because we all knew this was the hardest part. It was great to have Niamh today in the leader’s jersey, she is 20 years old, and was actually leading three classifications going into the stage. We had a really good stage race here.”

How it unfolded

None of the attacks on the first half of the 121.6-kilometre stage lasted for very long, but with 50 kilometres to go, a large group of 30 riders got away and built an advantage of 1:40 minutes.

This gap was reduced on the first climb of the day, cresting 23km from the finish, but some 14 riders still entered the finishing climb with an advantage of about 45 seconds. Halfway up the climb, only Amanda Spratt (Team BikeExchange), Aalerud, Anna Shackley (Team SD Worx), and Koppenburg remained in front, gaining time on the peloton again.

With an advantage of 1:30 minutes at the five-kilometre mark, Spratt and Aalerud dropped their two companions who, however, were able to come back. In the peloton, Canuel was leading the chase as more and more riders lost contact.

Spratt attacked again inside four kilometres to go, taking Aalerud with her, while Vollering now took over the chasing duties in the peloton. Koppenburg and Shackley came back to the front yet again with 2.5km left, though Shackley was dropped for good shortly afterwards.

Vollering had reduced the gap to 27 seconds at the two-kilometre mark, with only Van der Breggen, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Team SD Worx), Van Vleuten, Rooijakkers, and Fisher-Black left on her wheel.

Uttrup Ludwig and Fisher-Black had to let go with 1.5km to go, and Moolman-Pasio dropped back to help the young New Zealander. Still led by Vollering, the favourites caught Spratt, who could not keep up, Rooijakkers also having to leave a gap as Vollering finally moved over with 1,100 metres left to race, still some 15 seconds behind Koppenburg and Aalerud.

Van der Breggen now took over the chase with only Van Vleuten on her wheel, but Vollering came back again after the one-kilometre mark and went to the front one final time, catching Koppenburg and Aalerud and then dropping them 700 metres from the line.

After that last turn, Vollering had to let go with 550 metres to go, and Van der Breggen led all the way to the line. Van Vleuten tried to attack her in one of the final turns, but Van der Breggen countered the acceleration well to win the stage and the overall classification as well as the points and mountain classifications.

Fisher-Black won the U23 classification.

With her second place overall, Van Vleuten took the lead in the Women’s WorldTour ranking from Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo).

Results :
1 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 3:24:15
2 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
3 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:00:20
4 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:00:35
5 Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Rally Cycling 0:00:37
6 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women 0:00:51
7 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:04
8 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx 0:01:06
9 Grace Brown (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:01:09
10 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:01:17
11 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:25
12 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:27
13 Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team
14 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:34
15 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx 0:01:43
16 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing 0:01:42
17 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:46
18 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
19 Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally Cycling 0:01:51
20 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:01:54
21 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange 0:02:03
22 Eider Merino Cortazar (Spa) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:02:07
23 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing 0:02:09
24 Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:02:10
25 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:02:14
26 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
27 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:41
28 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:02:48
29 Anna Baidak (Rus) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:02:57
30 Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:03:00
31 Andrea Ramírez Fregoso (Mex) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:03:08
32 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:03:18
33 Yuliia Biriukova (Ukr) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:03:33
34 Ariadna Gutierrez Arzaluz (Mex) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
35 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
36 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
37 Tereza Neumanová (Cze) Women Cycling Sport 0:03:51
38 Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling 0:03:52
39 Paula Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women 0:03:59
40 Anastasiia Chursina (Rus) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:04:07
41 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:04:27
42 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
43 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:04:30
44 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:04:34
45 Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:04:38
46 Spela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:04:49
47 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:05:00
48 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Team SD Worx 0:05:57
49 Elizabeth Holden (GBr) Bizkaia-Durango
50 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
51 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Women Cycling Sport 0:06:10
52 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:07:17
53 Tamara Dronova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:07:43
54 Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Liv Racing 0:08:16
55 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:08:21
56 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Instafund Racing 0:08:32
57 Isabella Bertold (Can) Instafund Racing 0:08:40
58 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:09:11
59 Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:09:48
60 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:10:18
61 Fie Osterby (Den) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:10:30
62 Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
63 Olivia Baril (Can) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:10:33
64 Lija Laizane (Lat) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:10:49
65 Martina Moreno Monteys (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:10:53
66 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
67 Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:11:00
68 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:11:48
69 Gulnaz Khatuntseva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:11:52
70 Katia Ragusa (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:12:06
71 Susana Perez Conejero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:12:33
72 Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:12:51
73 Vera Looser (Nam) Instafund Racing 0:13:43
74 Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling 0:13:48
75 Lara Vieceli (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:13:50
76 Sandra Alonso Dominguez (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:14:00
77 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
78 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
79 Georgia Williams (NZl) Team BikeExchange 0:14:11
80 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:14:26
81 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
82 Rachel Langdon (GBr) Instafund Racing 0:14:48
83 Lydia Iglesias Bares (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:15:20
84 Nerea Nuño Iglesias (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte
85 Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Team BikeExchange 0:15:34
86 Elisabet Escursell Valero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:16:07
87 Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Women Cycling Sport 0:18:55
88 Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Women Cycling Sport
89 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
90 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:19:00
91 Luciana Roland (Arg) Women Cycling Sport 0:19:28
DNF Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Laura Tomasi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
DNF Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
DNF Lotta Henttala (Fin) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
DNF Alba Leonardo Sanchez (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte
DNF Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
DNS Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team

Final General Classification :
1 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 11:23:55
2 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women 0:00:03
3 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:00:23
4 Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Rally Cycling 0:00:59
5 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women 0:01:02
6 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:04
7 Grace Brown (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:01:07
8 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx 0:01:09
9 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing
10 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:25
11 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:27
12 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx 0:01:41
13 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:45
14 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:01:47
15 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing 0:01:53
16 Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) Rally Cycling 0:01:54
17 Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:02:01
18 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange 0:02:06
19 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:02:08
20 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing 0:02:12
21 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:02:13
22 Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:02:21
23 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:02:26
24 Eider Merino Cortazar (Spa) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:02:33
25 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx 0:02:40
26 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
27 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:02:59
28 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:03:36
29 Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:03:42
30 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:03:47
31 Andrea Ramírez Fregoso (Mex) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:03:57
32 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:04:02
33 Tereza Neumanová (Cze) Women Cycling Sport 0:04:05
34 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:05:21
35 Spela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team
36 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:06:16
37 Paula Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women 0:06:25
38 Anna Baidak (Rus) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:06:32
39 Tamara Dronova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:07:57
40 Anastasiia Chursina (Rus) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
41 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:08:05
42 Yuliia Biriukova (Ukr) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:08:34
43 Ariadna Gutierrez Arzaluz (Mex) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:08:54
44 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:09:22
45 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:10:39
46 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Team SD Worx 0:11:07
47 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:11:42
48 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:12:18
49 Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:13:06
50 Elizabeth Holden (GBr) Bizkaia-Durango 0:13:14
51 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:13:22
52 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Instafund Racing 0:13:45
53 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:14:25
54 Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling 0:14:29
55 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:14:46
56 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:15:31
57 Olivia Baril (Can) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:15:42
58 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:16:14
59 Isabella Bertold (Can) Instafund Racing 0:16:19
60 Katia Ragusa (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:17:07
61 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Women Cycling Sport 0:17:27
62 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:19:01
63 Martina Moreno Monteys (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:19:47
64 Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:20:00
65 Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:20:42
66 Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:21:32
67 Gulnaz Khatuntseva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team 0:21:34
68 Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Liv Racing 0:21:38
69 Lija Laizane (Lat) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:22:02
70 Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:23:02
71 Sandra Alonso Dominguez (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:23:13
72 Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Team BikeExchange 0:23:24
73 Georgia Williams (NZl) Team BikeExchange 0:23:36
74 Fie Osterby (Den) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:23:50
75 Lara Vieceli (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:24:08
76 Rachel Langdon (GBr) Instafund Racing 0:24:16
77 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:25:03
78 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:25:21
79 Vera Looser (Nam) Instafund Racing 0:25:41
80 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:26:18
81 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:26:39
82 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women 0:27:05
83 Susana Perez Conejero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:27:16
84 Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:28:41
85 Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Women Cycling Sport 0:31:19
86 Nerea Nuño Iglesias (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:31:45
87 Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling 0:32:47
88 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:33:10
89 Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Women Cycling Sport 0:36:27
90 Lydia Iglesias Bares (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:40:55
91 Luciana Roland (Arg) Women Cycling Sport 0:41:37
92 Elisabet Escursell Valero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:41:42