Some teams and media have referred to the race as a 'Grand Tour', as it is one of the biggest events on the women's calendar.[1] However, the race does not meet the UCI definition of such an event.[2]
La Vuelta Femenina replaces the Challenge by La Vuelta stage race (previously one day race) run between 2015 and 2022, staged at the same time as the men's tour.
History
Challenge by La Vuelta
In 2015, La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta was first held as a one-day road race in the centre of Madrid, coinciding with the final day of the Vuelta a España. The race was similar to the La Course by Le Tour de France race held in conjunction with the final days of the Tour de France.[3] In 2016, the race joined the newly established UCI Women's World Tour. From 2018 onwards, a time trial was held as a first stage, remaining in the Madrid region.[4]
In 2020, a third day of racing was added and the race was renamed as the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta – after sponsor Ceratizit, and as stages were held outside the borders of the Autonomous Community of Madrid.[5] The 2021 edition increased the number of stages to 4, with the race finishing in Santiago de Compostela.[4]
The race had been criticised by the women's peloton for not being challenging enough,[7] with 3 time Giro Donne winner and 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten, stating ""if you look at the [2022] course you can conclude that the Vuelta (sic) is not yet ready to call itself a grand tour".[8]
La Vuelta Femenina
In June 2022, it was announced that the Challenge by La Vuelta event would increase in length to 7 days, be renamed La Vuelta Femenina, and would be held in May rather than September.[9][10] This would make it the third Major Tour for professional women following the Giro d'Italia Donne and the Tour de France Femmes.[1]
In February 2023, the route for the 2023 edition was announced by race director Fernando Escartín,[11] who also confirmed that the race will be sponsored by supermarket Carrefour.[12] Annemiek van Vleuten praised the route, calling it "a very complete Vuelta",[13] and welcomed that the inclusion of the Lagos de Covadonga climb on the final stage, stating "to end in such a famous location is essential for the race".[14] Organisers referred to the 2023 edition as the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina, with media noting that the race had grown from the previous Challenge by La Vuelta races.[15] In April 2023, the European Broadcasting Union announced that a three year television deal had been agreed, with the race available on free to air channels across Europe.[16]
The race has identical classifications to the Vuelta a España, with the red jersey for the general classification, the green jersey for the points classification, the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification, and the white jersey for the young rider (under 23) classification. The jerseys are made by Santini.[12] The first rider to the top of the largest climb on the race is awarded the Cima Estela Domínguez,[17] honouring the Spanish rider who was killed while training in 2023.[18]
The 2023 edition was won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten by just nine seconds, making her the first woman to win all three of the major stage races in women's cycling (La Vuelta Femenina, Tour de France Femmes and Giro Donne).[19] The 2024 edition was won by Dutch rider Demi Vollering, on a longer and more challenging course than previous editions.[20][21]
^Welch, Betsy (2023-02-28). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-05. Despite the number of stages increasing over the past few years, many riders and teams have slammed the previous editions of the race for not being long or hard enough.
^Matilda Price (2022-06-17). "Four events added to Women's WorldTour calendar for 2023". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-24. As well as the addition of races, there has been some reshuffling of the calendar, most notably the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta – registered in 2023 as 'La Vuelta Femenina' – has moved to May, and will be seven stages long.
^Welch, Betsy (2023-02-28). "La Vuelta Femenina 2023 to finish on Lagos de Covadonga". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-05. After the announcement, Van Vleuten praised the inclusion of the brutal Lagos de Covadonga climb on the final, decisive stage. "To end in such a famous location is essential for the race"
^O'shea, Sadhbh (2023-05-08). "Vuelta Femenina: 6 lessons learned from revamped race". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08. Last week's race was billed as the first-ever Vuelta Femenina by the organizers. While, strictly speaking, it is the first race run under that name, it was a development of the Challenge by La Vuelta format run before it.
