Meet the 2026 La Vuelta Femenina Podium: Blasi, van der Breggen, and Bunel
Three very different stories shared the podium at the end of La Vuelta Femenina 2026: a 23-year-old former runner who only started cycling two years earlier, a decorated world champion who came out of retirement to race again, and a 21-year-old climbing prodigy who’s barely two seasons into her professional career. Between first and third place, just 49 seconds separated them, one of the tightest finishes in the race’s history.
If you want the full picture of what La Vuelta Femenina is and how it’s changed since 2015, start with our introduction to the race. This piece is about the three riders who defined its 2026 edition.
Key Takeaways
| Rider | Result | Standout Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Paula Blasi Cairol | 1st, +0” | First Spanish rider ever to win La Vuelta Femenina, also won the mountains classification |
| Anna van der Breggen | 2nd, +24” | Two-time World Champion, returned to racing in 2025 after retiring in 2021 |
| Marion Bunel | 3rd, +49” | 21 years old, also won the white jersey as best young rider |
Paula Blasi Cairol: From Injured Runner to National Hero
Paula Blasi was born on February 19, 2003, in Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona, and cycling wasn’t her first sport. She competed as a runner until an injury forced her to change direction, and she didn’t switch to the bike until she was 21, remarkably late for a rider who’d go on to win a grand tour within two years.
Her rise since then has been fast. She joined the UAE Development Team for 2025 and earned promotion to the WorldTour-level UAE Team ADQ that same May, after wins at the Gran Premio della Liberazione and the Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic. Then came 2026, and a run of results that turned her into one of the most searched names in Spanish sport: she won the Amstel Gold Race, a cycling Monument, solo after a late attack, becoming the first Spanish woman ever to win one. Three weeks later, she won La Vuelta Femenina outright, taking both the overall and mountains classifications after finishing second on each of the final two mountain stages. That made her the first Spanish rider, male or female, to win the race.
She was open about how hard it was. “I hadn’t suffered this much in my whole life,” she said afterward. “This week has felt a bit long. It was my first grand tour, but I’ve been lucky to have a great team, and especially of having Mavi [García] by my side, as she is kind of an older sister for me.” García, her UAE Team ADQ teammate, finished the race in 22nd place, well down the GC, having spent much of the week supporting Blasi rather than chasing her own result.
Anna van der Breggen: The Comeback
Anna van der Breggen’s palmarès needs almost no introduction inside the sport: Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games, the 2018 World Championship road race title, and in 2020, becoming the first woman ever to win both the World Championship road race and time trial in the same year. She also won the Giro Rosa overall four times and La Flèche Wallonne seven years running.
She retired in 2021 after the Leuven World Championships and moved into a sports director role at SD Worx-Protime. The comeback, announced for the 2025 season, surprised much of the sport. She was candid about the risk: “If I am not better than when I retired, it will be difficult,” she said at the time, and elsewhere described the decision more simply: “if I want to return as a cyclist, it’s now or never.” Finishing second overall at La Vuelta Femenina 2026, just 24 seconds off the win, four years after she’d last raced competitively, was about as strong a comeback result as anyone could have reasonably expected.
Marion Bunel: The Next Generation Arrives Early
Marion Bunel was born on October 7, 2004, in Bernay, France, and turned 21 during the 2026 season. Her rise through the sport has been quick: after racing as an amateur with VC Islois-Team Stamina in 2023, she turned professional with St Michel-Mavic-Auber93, where a standout season included fifth place at the UAE Tour, an 11th-place finish on the Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France Femmes, and an overall win at the Tour de l’Avenir, often treated as a strong indicator of future grand tour talent.
That result got her signed to Team Visma | Lease a Bike on a three-year deal at just 20 years old. Her third place at La Vuelta Femenina 2026, alongside the white jersey for best young rider, is an early sign that the promotion was justified. At 21, with a grand tour podium and three years still left on her current contract, she’s one of the sport’s clearer names to watch over the rest of the decade.
Related Cycling Resources
- What Is La Vuelta Femenina? A Complete Introduction
- Vuelta 2026 Stage 9: What It Means for Cycling on the Costa Blanca
- Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 9: The History of Aitana and Where to Watch
- Vuelta a España 2026 Official Stage Calendar
FAQ
Who won La Vuelta Femenina 2026? Paula Blasi Cairol, the first Spanish rider ever to win the race, finishing 24 seconds ahead of Anna van der Breggen.
How old is Paula Blasi? Born February 19, 2003, she was 23 during the 2026 race.
Did Paula Blasi always race bikes? No. She competed as a runner until an injury forced a change of sport, and didn’t start cycling until she was 21.
Is Anna van der Breggen a former World Champion? Yes, twice. She won the World Championship road race in 2018, and in 2020 became the first woman to win both the road race and time trial titles in the same year.
Why is Anna van der Breggen’s result notable? She retired from racing in 2021 and returned to professional competition in 2025. Finishing second overall in 2026, just 24 seconds off the win, is a strong result for a comeback at this level.
Who is Marion Bunel? A 21-year-old French rider for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, and the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir champion. She finished third overall at La Vuelta Femenina 2026 and won the white jersey for best young rider.
How close was the 2026 podium? Very close. Just 49 seconds separated first and third place overall.
What did Paula Blasi say about winning? “I hadn’t suffered this much in my whole life,” she said afterward, crediting her team and teammate Mavi García for their support during her first grand tour.
Research sources: La Vuelta Femenina 2026 official rankings, La Vuelta Femenina, Paula Blasi post-race interview, UAE Team ADQ, Paula Blasi rider profile, Cyclingnews, Anna van der Breggen comeback coverage, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Marion Bunel rider profile.
