Yara Kastelijn stormed to the biggest stage-race win of her career on Sunday, soloing to victory atop Lagunas de Neila to take the overall at the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas. Meanwhile, Richmond B.C.’s Nadia Gontova (Liv AlUla Jayco) had a fantastic day on the super-tough stage, finishing 11th on the stage and an impressive 9th overall.
The final 120-km stage looked calm early before the race exploded in the mountains. Sara Martín spent much of the day off the front after launching a lone attack, later joined by Italian rider Federica Venturelli, but the pair were reeled back in before the decisive ascent.
The final climb
Everything came down to the brutal climb to Lagunas de Neila, where Évita Muzic attacked with just over four km remaining. Kastelijn was the only rider able to follow.
The Dutch pro refused to crack under pressure and then delivered the winning move inside the final two km, riding clear of Muzic to take both the stage and the GC. Muzic finished second on the day, while Usoa Ostolaza rounded off the podium.
Gontova said that her team was perfect in the finale. “The girls all rode incredibly well. They helped me get in the right position on the climbs and kept the breakaway under control,” she said. “The race came down to the final climb. It was another super hot day and I really started to feel the heat.”
With Gontova and teammates Silke Smulders and Caroline Andersson all finishing in the top 20, the team also claimed the best team classification.
For the 25-year-old Canadian, the result was a welcome one after a tough spring. “I’m happy to get my first WorldTour GC top 10 after a difficult first half of the season coming back from injury,” she said. Gontova had iliac artery surgery last year, which ended her season early.
“I can take some confidence that I am back to climbing at a good level going into the Giro.”
There are eight Canadians racing the Giro d’Italia Women, and several riders—including Gontova—that are proper threats to the GC. The first stage is Saturday, and you can stream it on FloBikes.com. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have daily coverage as well. Forza, ragazze!
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