Vuelta España Femenina 2026: Duel for the overall classification - who will win the Tour of Spain?

The Vuelta España Femenina is the first week-long women's stage race. Until now, it has only been a matter of a few days for round trip victories, but now the favourites for the overall classification will be properly tested for the first time. This year, the legs of the captains will be more important than in previous years, as the first stage is not a team time trial. This has traditionally been the opening stage of the Tour of Spain, but will be replaced by a normal stage in 2026. This will provide plenty of opportunities for breakaway riders and sprinters, who will find it even more worthwhile to compete in a grand tour.

With the exception of the last two stages. Everything is at stake here. Two tough mountain finishes promise a spectacle in the battle for the overall classification, the percentages of the climbs are merciless. This means that this year's Tour of Spain promises to be really exciting and could be a pointer for the Tour de France. But who has what it takes to take the win? Here are the favourites for victory.

The favourites for the Vuelta España Femenina

Defending champion Demi Vollering is not in her team's line-up for 2026. She actively decided against taking part and instead wants to be part of the Giro d'Italia, which is still missing from her list of victories. This puts two other riders in the spotlight. The 2025 Tour winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Kasia Niewiadoma are the big favourites for overall victory. With her dominance of last year's Tour, Ferrand-Prévot is regarded as an absolute Tour specialist and has shown that she is already in good form in several classics this season. The difficult climbs at the end of the Vuelta should suit the Frenchwoman particularly well.

Kasisa Niewiadoma has already had a few more days in the saddle than Ferrand-Prévot and was even more convincing in the classics. Even if it wasn't enough to win, she finished on the podium in four prestigious races, three times in second place. Although her acceleration is an advantage on short passages, she is slightly weaker than Ferrand-Prévot on the long climb to Angliru.

Behind the duel

Behind her, it will be much more difficult to identify a clear candidate for the final podium place. The absence of Vollering will probably give Juliette Berthet a rare opportunity. She can show what she's made of as captain, and the rarity of such an opportunity will mobilise huge forces. But the now 42-year-old Mavi García should not be written off either. She has proven time and again in the past that she is a force to be reckoned with. It will probably be difficult for the experienced Spaniard to win, but she is certainly aiming for a podium finish. Her team-mate Paula Blasi is currently in impressive form, showing her full potential in the classics and taking victory in the Amstel Gold Race. Depending on how the race goes, she could also finish in the overall classification, so UAE has several options.

From a German perspective, Liane Lippert is particularly exciting to watch. Her normally seeded team captain, Marlen Reusser, broke a lumbar vertebra in the Tour of Flanders and will therefore not be at the start of the Tour of Spain, where she finished second in 2025. As a result, Lippert is stepping into her role and proving just like Berthet. A good placing is always possible. Sarah Gigante is another top rider who has big problems on the descents but is all the stronger on the climbs. Descents hardly play a role in this year's Tour of Spain, which plays in Gigante's favour. The two mountain finishes with difficult climbs are exactly her terrain, where the Australian can shine. After another injury, she is perhaps more highly rated than some people would think, even if it is her first race day since the Tour de France 2025.