Vuelta Femenina: Ranking the GC contenders

The Vuelta España Femenina kicks off the Grand Tour season for the Women's WorldTour with a race that is set to be a thrilling start to next phase of the season. Not only does the eight-day stage race toss-up unique challenges every day, but it also boasts an elite field of GC contenders who are vying for the red jersey.

Last year's champion is not on the start line, with Annemiek van Vleuten
now firmly in retirement, nevertheless, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) has taken the belt of the best GC rider in the world and has run with it. The Dutch national champion is the favourite for the Vuelta and is, unsurprisingly, number one on our list. However, the contenders are coming as we saw in the Ardennes Classics over the past few weeks.

From Vollering to Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), here are ten of the riders we are looking at to fight for victory at the Vuelta Femenina over the next week.

Read more:

• La Vuelta Femenina 2024 – essential race preview
• A brief history of the Vuelta Femenina

1. Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)

The Dutch rider finished second overall last year in a nail-biting finish and returns to the race as the rider to beat following the retirement of long-term rival and last year’s champion, Annemiek van Vleuten. Despite being the favourite, Vollering heads into the race with question marks over her form. The 27-year-old hasn’t won at all this year, an inexplicable stat given her exploits last year, and she looks shorn of her top form after a disappointing spring by her standards.

The Dutch rider was still incredibly consistent, picking up four podiums in a clutch of the biggest one-day races of the year, but compared to last year, she looks beatable. That said, Vollering remains the most complete rider on the start list and the parcour looks good for her.

The opening team time trial will help the Dutch squad set their stall out, while Vollering has the capacity to put time into her rivals on almost every form of terrain. Stages 5 and 6 look like the perfect terrain to launch attacks, and the depth within the SD Worx-Protime stable should, on paper, be enough to manage most scenarios. Even a Vollering not quite at her very best will be hard to beat but if she can reach top form after the Classics then this could become a one-sided race relatively quickly.

2. Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek)

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Gaia Realini was the breakout star of last year's Vuelta Femenina

The Italian climber worked for Elisa Longo Borghini during the recent Ardennes Classics, so results perhaps didn’t do her form justice, but she’s been quietly excellent this year, picking up fourth, fifth, and second overall during her early season stage races. The 22-year-old will need assistance during the opening team time trial but once the race opens up in the mountains she’ll be in her element and a potentially devastating opponent in the second half of the race.

On her day, as she proved on stage 6 last year, she’s unbeatable. The Italian was third in the Vuelta and the Giro last year too, and with a year of added experience in the locker should be gazing at the top step of the podium as a realistic aim. The idea of Realini going head-to-head with Vollering in the high mountains is a mouth-watering prospect.

3. Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM)

Niewiadoma has finished tenth in the last two editions of the race, which is slightly below her typically excellent stage racing record in recent times, but she heads into this year’s race with newly found confidence following her win in La Flèche Wallonne. Third in the last two editions of the Tour de France Femmes, she’s a bona fide contender for the red jersey thanks to her staying power and natural ability in the mountains. The gravel world champion also has one of the strongest teams in the race at her disposal with Neve Bradbury in excellent stage racing form this year and capable of being excellent support in the high mountains.

4. Juliette Labous (dsm-​​firmenich PostNL)

The highly rated French rider has raced sparingly this season, clocking up just eight days of action, but the 25-year-old remains a threat for the podium having picked up top-10s in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Labous’ dsm squad will look to limit their losses in the opening team time trial but Labous was a consistent presence in all three Grand Tours last season, finishing inside the top 10 each time and claiming second at the Giro d’Italia Donne. Winning a second career Grand Tour stage would be a major achievement but if her climbing legs are in check then a place on the podium should be up for grabs.

Keep an eye on Nienke Vinke too. Although not a GC rider in Grand Tours just yet, the 19-year-old is certainly one for the future.

5. Évita Muzic (FDJ SUEZ)

The 24-year-old French rider may not have taken a victory since 2022 but her credentials as a GC rider remain resolute. Muzic has finished in the top 10 on three of her last four race outings and was sixth overall in the race twelve months ago thanks to her fourth-placed finish on the road to Lagos de Covadonga.

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Évita Muzic left everything on the roads of Lagos de Covadonga last season

If FDJ-SUEZ can keep her GC hopes in check during the opening 16km TTT, and then keep her contention through the rest of the first half of the race, then Muzic will relish the back-loaded mountain stages. Stages 5, 6 and 8 are major tests, and a pure climber will no doubt make their mark on the race. This is also a really important test for Muzic before the reported arrival of Demi Vollering to the team in the winter.

6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

The Tour of Flanders winner had her Grand Tour plans shattered by illness, crashes and bad luck in 2023 but her last clear run in 2022 saw her take fourth in the Giro, sixth in the Tour and second in the Vuelta. She’s arguably in just as good form this season, winning Spring Classics and leading the line against the dominance of SD Worx-Protime.

The 32-year-old, who is reportedly on the cusp of signing a contract extension on the American team, will form a vital partnership with Realini in the medium to high mountains, and she has vital experience when it comes to longer-form racing. For a rider who has been on form since February, the only question is how much she has in the tank before taking a well-earned rest and building up towards the Giro, Olympics and Tour.

Read more: Elisa Longo Borghini rebuilds from ‘destroyed’ rider to win Tour of Flanders

7. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Team)

The 38-year-old is expected to retire at the end of the current campaign but before that point, the South African has some important appointments, not least racing the Vuelta Femenina as a contender for the podium. Consistent if not spectacular during the Ardennes, Moolman Pasio is clearly not using her final season as a victory lap before hanging up her wheels, and looks determined as ever to compete for top honours. She will be in contention for a top-10 result overall, and the lack of an individual time trial no doubt helps her credentials.

She’s a diesel in the mountains, and few have her sticking power, so when the red jersey group is thinned down to just a handful of riders you can bet that Moolman Pasio will be there. A podium result isn’t out of the question but running from fourth to 10th feels more realistic.

8. Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Markus was fourth last year and comes into the first Grand Tour of the season with her form in check after working for Marianne Vos during the recent Spring Classics and finishing fifth in the Tour de Normandie Féminin in March. Visma-Lease a Bike won the TTT in last year’s race but will be pushed hard to replicate that performance once again, and there’s no individual time trial in which Markus can put time into the pure climbers, so the second half race could be a real test of her credentials. After finishing 11th in the Tour de France last year, another strong performance isn’t out of the realms of possibility but improving on last year’s fourth place will be tough.

9. Liane Lippert (Movistar)

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Liane Lippert's return will be a welcome one in the women's peloton

The German hasn’t raced this year owing to a stress fracture she sustained last winter but Movistar have cleared the 26-year-old just in time for the Vuelta. Lippert goes into the race with obvious question marks over her stamina having not pushed a pedal in anger in almost seven months but this block of racing also represents a huge change for the all-rounder to demonstrate her qualities and without the shadow of Annemiek van Vleuten hanging over her. No one would argue with her pedigree and promise but this might be a test too soon for the returning rider. If she can hold it together through the first few stages, and remain fresh, then a top 10 could be on the cards.

10. Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)

UAE Team ADQ have yet to announce their line-up for the Vuelta but Persico looks like a likely starter. The Italian cracked the top ten in both the Giro and the Vuelta last year before slipping slightly to 14th in the Tour last year. The lack of an individual time trial will suit her, whilst her all-round ability should keep her in contention before the major mountain tests towards the end of the race. Targetting the top five might be something of a stretch with the parcours available but the 26-year-old should be in the mix for a top-ten.

For everything you need to know about the 2024 Vuelta Femenina, from the key information to this year's route and start list, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub.