2026 Vuelta España Femenina Stage 7 Results & Recap
Stage 7 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
Stiasny wins final stage, Blasi claims overall title
Paula Blasi of UAE Team ADQ sealed overall victory at La Vuelta Femenina after a dramatic queen stage to the summit of the fearsome Angliru, while Petra Stiasny claimed the stage win for Human Powered Health. Blasi finished second on the day, 23 seconds behind Stiasny, but gained enough time on overnight leader Anna van der Breggen to secure the red jersey.
The brutal 132.9-kilometre finale from Pola de Laviana to the Angliru featured more than 3,200 metres of climbing, making it the most mountainous stage in race history. The peloton began splintering almost immediately on the Alto de Santo Emiliano, with just 45 riders remaining at the front after the opening climb.
An aggressive trio featuring Femke Markus, Riejanne Markus and Liane Lippert animated the middle portion of the stage, building an advantage of more than three minutes over the reduced peloton. Lippert later surged clear alone on the lower slopes of the Angliru and briefly looked capable of pulling off victory.
Behind, however, the general classification battle exploded on the Alto de Tenebredo and intensified further on the Angliru’s savage gradients. Van der Breggen, Blasi, Marion Bunel, Évita Muzic and others formed the elite GC selection as riders cracked one by one on the steep ramps.
With just over five kilometres remaining, Bunel launched an acceleration that split the favourites group before Blasi countered with a decisive move of her own. The 23-year-old Spaniard steadily distanced Van der Breggen and moved into the virtual overall lead as the road tilted toward the Angliru’s steepest sectors.
Stiasny then bridged across to Blasi near the upper slopes and eventually powered clear in the closing kilometres to take the biggest victory of her career in 4:09:40. Blasi dug deep to limit her losses and crossed the line 23 seconds later, celebrating moments afterward as confirmation arrived that she had won the overall title.
Bunel finished third on the stage alongside Juliette Berthet at 43 seconds, while Van der Breggen conceded nearly a minute and slipped to second overall.
Blasi ultimately wrapped up the race in a final winning time of 22:17:03, with Van der Breggen finishing 24 seconds behind and Bunel completing the podium at 49 seconds.
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