For the 36-year-old van der Breggen, the dream of her first Vuelta victory is now within reach. Ahead of the final stage, which ends with another mountain finish at Angliru, the Dutchwoman now has an 18-second lead over Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ). The 23-year-old Spaniard was only eight seconds slower at the mountain top finish in Les Praeres, but was able to close a larger gap that opened up when van der Breggen went solo 2.5 kilometres before the finish. Marion Bunel (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) finished in third place. She crossed the finish line 29 seconds behind.

"I've never seen a climb like this before," said van der Breggen, who knows the cycling world inside out, in the winner's interview. "It was a really tough day. It was very steep at the start and at the end too. You had to find a good pace and manage your strength well. Fortunately, it wasn't too long," said the new woman in the red jersey after her first win of the season.

Bauernfeind now best German

However, steep is exactly her terrain. It's not for nothing that she has won the Flèche Wallonne, which ends at the Huy wall, seven times in a row. And the Angliru, which awaits her in tomorrow's final, also plays into her hands. Because it is similarly steep. Only longer.

The best German on the 107 kilometre stage was Ricarda Bauernfeind (Lidl - Trek) in 16th place, one and a half minutes behind. She is eleventh in the overall standings, tenth place is only four seconds away.

Vuelta Femenina 2026 - Results of the 6th stage

>> Vuelta Femenina: duel for the overall classification - who will win the Tour of Spain?

>> Vuelta Femenina 2026: Decision at the legendary Angliru

How the 5th stage of the Vuelta Femenina 2026 went

After crashes had already occurred in the neutralised phase and Blasi also had to go down after just a few kilometres, a four-rider lead group established itself, with two chasers chasing after it, which calmed the field at the back somewhat. Marine Allione (Mayenne Monbana My Pie), who was fighting for the mountain jersey, was at the front, while Aniek van Alphen (Fenix-Premier Tech) was part of the chasing duo.

While the leaders had a lead of almost five minutes over the field at the halfway point of the race, the chasers were never able to close the gap to the front and were dropped 35 kilometres before the finish. During this phase, Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ), one of the favourites for a top result, crashed and had to abandon. Like Kopecky, Blasi was also travelling behind the peloton for a while.

The intermediate sprint was taken 23 kilometres before the finish. The breakaway quartet still had a one-minute lead, but ten more points were awarded. The previous day's winner Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx - Protime) was in competition with Franzsika Koch (FDJ United - Suez), but took the points away from the German.

Van der Breggen's steady pace too fast for everyone else

Slowly but surely, the preparations for the final climb began. Eleven kilometres before the finish, Gaia Masetti (Team Picnic PostNL) became the last breakaway rider. Already on the approach to the climb, which was only 3.9 kilometres long but would have double-digit gradients almost throughout, the peloton dwindled to around 35 women. Shortly after the start of the real climb, Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) tried to attack, but it soon became clear that it was too steep for the Frenchwoman.

Shortly afterwards, heavy rain set in. At this moment, van der Breggen took over the lead of the thinned-out head group. Only Blasi and Niewiadoma were able to follow at first. But the Polish rider also had to realise that van der Breggen's high, steady pace was too much for her. Blasi was the last one to keep up, while Bunel was able to reduce the gap a little.

The Dutchwoman was then alone for the last two and a half kilometres. Blasi had to set her own pace and, after the gap quickly opened up, made up some ground. However, van der Breggen remained first at the finish and is now close to her first overall Vuelta victory.