A race beginning in Galicia and ending in Asturias naturally invites talk of “meigas” and “bruxas”—archetypes of women woven into the mythology of these rugged, green, mountainous regions. These women possess supernatural powers, much like the peloton of La Vuelta Femenina 26 by Carrefour.es, set to race from May 3 to 9. These riders will captivate us on screen and along the roadside, seeking to leave their mark on the legend of this race and global cycling, in a terrain primed for mysticism.
The fourth stage of the Spanish women’s grand tour passes through the Ribeira Sacra, a region south of Lugo province named for its abundance of monasteries and churches. It is home to a particularly famous Denominación de Origen for its red wines, much like D.O. Rías Baixas—featured on the opening day’s route—is renowned for its Albariño whites. Returning to Lugo, the stage from Monforte de Lemos to Antas de Ulla crosses Sarria, the starting point of the short version of the French Camino de Santiago, covering the 100 kilometers separating this town from Santiago de Compostela. The Galician capital hosted the finish of the men’s Vuelta in 1993, 2014, and 2021, and the start in 1982, one of eight occasions when the men’s race began its pilgrimage from Galicia. Four of those starts took place in Pontevedra province—three in Vigo (1965, 1967, 2007) and one in Vilanova de Arousa (2013)—similar to this edition of La Vuelta Femenina starting from Marín.
This is not the first time the women’s version of the Spanish grand tour has departed from Galicia. It happened in 2021, when the race was contested over four stages under the name Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, with the Cabeza de Manzaneda ski station as the epicenter in an edition marked by COVID-19 restrictions. Ourense province hosted the first three days, with a stage win for Marlen Reusser and two for Annemiek van Vleuten, who took the overall title. The grand final, synchronized with the men’s race, took place in Santiago de Compostela, where a young Lotte Kopecky raised her arms—she is now an eight-time world champion (two road, six track) and returns to La Vuelta Femenina this year after a four-year absence.
Kopecky will face the toughest edition of this race yet. The nature of Galician and Asturian terrain imposes challenges, with the accumulated elevation gain over seven stages exceeding 14,500 meters, well above 2025’s 10,331 and 2024’s 11,092 meters. The accumulation of short climbs and two category climbs—Les Praeres and L’Angliru—will make the race as hard as the tungsten from the Varilongo mine, which during World War II was Europe’s largest source of this mineral. On the third stage, the route passes through Santa Comba, one of the 66 Galician municipalities where more cows live than people. Another such town is Antas de Ulla, the finish of the fourth stage.
In Antas de Ulla, the cyclists will face a final climb; the same occurs in Salvaterra de Miño (Stage 1) and San Cibrao das Viñas (Stage 2). Near the latter finish line is the headquarters of Adolfo Domínguez, a major Spanish fashion brand. However, when it comes to clothing production, no giant compares to Inditex, Amancio Ortega’s empire, whose nerve center in Arteixo the route passes on the approach to A Coruña, the finish of Stage 3. In the realm of creativity, an even more significant name appears along the route of this Vuelta Femenina: the Catalan architect Antoni.
