2026 Vuelta España Femenina Stage 5 Results & Recap
Stage 5 of the 2026 Vuelta España Femenina is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Bredewold wins chaotic sprint
Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx–Protime) took victory on Stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina, narrowly beating teammate Lotte Kopecky, with Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) finishing third after a messy, rain-soaked sprint in Astorga.
The 119.6-kilometer stage was animated early by a five-rider breakaway featuring Aniek van Alphen, Sara Martín, Idoia Eraso, Alice Coutinho and Marina Garau, who built an advantage of more than two minutes as the peloton allowed the move to settle.
The group worked together over the Collada de Olleros de Alba and Alto de la Garandilla, picking up points and briefly threatening to shape the stage, but SD Worx–Protime kept the gap under control throughout.
As the race entered the final 30 kilometers, the peloton began to close in, with the break’s advantage dropping steadily under pressure from SD Worx and other teams. By the time the riders hit the intermediate sprint in Castrillo de Cepeda, the gap had fallen to just seconds, and the catch was completed inside the final 10 kilometers.
Rain began to fall on the run-in to Astorga, adding tension to an already nervous finale. A crash in the final kilometers disrupted the bunch and contributed to a disorganized sprint, with teams scrambling to set up lead-outs on slick roads.
Despite the frenetic finish, SD Worx–Protime once again proved strongest. Kopecky looked poised to take another victory, but Bredewold pipped her teammate in the final meters to claim the win, securing a dominant one-two finish for the team.
Paternoster rounded out the podium in third.
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