2026 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Féminas Results & Recap
2026 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Féminas is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
The 2026 Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Féminas was the 8th edition of the race, run over 94.7 kilometres from Bétera to Valencia on February 8. The route shared the same parcours as the men's race contested later that day, with the two ascents of the Puerto del Garbí providing the key selection point.
The short and punchy race got off to an attacking start, and it didn't take long for a move to get away. Agua Marina Espínola, Noémie Abgrall and Femke Van Goethem escaped within 8km of the flag drop and, being a fairly non-threatening trio, were allowed to build a lead of two and a half minutes. With 71km to go, a crash in the peloton brought down Lidl-Trek duo Anna Henderson and Riejanne Markus, and forced Silvia Milesi (Vini Fantini-BePink) to retire, briefly stalling the bunch and keeping the leaders' gap intact.
As the break went over the first climb at Oronet, Van Goethem began to struggle and was dangling behind the other two leaders as they approached the Puerto del Garbí. Lidl-Trek took control in the bunch on the approach to keep the gap closeable. The Garbí proved decisive, breaking the race apart with repeated attacks from the favourites. A lead group of around 30 riders emerged, with the breakaway absorbed and the hierarchy rewritten.
Once the road flattened after the descent, no one team truly owned the front. That lack of authority created a dangerous kind of racing — repeated surges, short-lived separations, and constant reorganisation as riders tried to anticipate rather than react. Movistar appeared happy to set things up for the sprint, with Sara Martín putting in a mammoth effort to keep the reduced group together for Cat Ferguson. But the volatile final kilometres forced a change of plan.
When Martín's long effort began to fade and the front group started to look at each other, Movistar recognised the moment for what it was — a small window of uncertainty. Liane Lippert hit it. She accelerated with around four kilometres remaining, opened a gap immediately, and crucially kept pushing when the group behind tried to decide who should respond. That hesitation was her oxygen. With each second of doubt, Lippert's advantage became harder to close, because the chasing group was full of riders who wanted the sprint and equally full of riders who wanted someone else to do the chasing.
Ferguson almost sprinted to second behind to make it a 1-2 for Movistar, but was just beaten by Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) who took the runner-up spot. The final result: Lippert in 2:33:02, Bossuyt six seconds back, Ferguson third at the same time.
Race director Silvia Tirado called it a success, highlighting the tactical build from the Garbí breakaway through to the final spectacle of Lippert pushing on every pedal stroke. For Movistar, it was a near-perfect team performance — both of their cards on the table at the finish, with the right one ultimately played at exactly the right moment.
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