Overview
- Pauline Ferrand‑Prévot lines up as the pre‑race favorite and treats the Vuelta as a weeklong check on stage‑race rhythm ahead of the Tour de France.
- The route saves its biggest gaps for the mountains with summit finishes at Les Praeres and the Angliru, a roughly 12 km climb near 10% with even steeper ramps.
- Reigning champion Demi Vollering skips the race to target the Giro d’Italia, which reshapes team plans and the list of likely leaders.
- Canyon‑SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadoma arrives from a strong spring, FDJ United‑Suez backs Juliette Berthet and Évita Muzic, and Spain’s 23‑year‑old Paula Blasi starts her first Grand Tour at home.
- Ferrand‑Prévot has no win this season after podiums at Flanders and Paris–Roubaix and pivots toward long climbs, having quit last year’s Vuelta before later dominating the Tour.