As it happened: Surprise winner storms to victory in chaotic finale to La Vuelta Femenina stage 2
No categorised mountains on tap for stage 2, however, the 109km route profile is anything but flat.
Hola and welcome to Cyclingnews' live report on the second stage of this year's La Vuelta Femenina 2026.
Yesterday was a chaotic stage with a magnificent victory from Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly). Relive the action with our post race report below...
Before focusing on today's stage, the news broke this morning that Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) will not be taking to the start today due to a broken collarbone after crashing yesterday.
Now, onto today's stage. Lumpier than the race's opener but it should be the same sort of riders involved in the finish. A mix of punchy riders and GC riders. Rüegg has a good chance to double up after her emphatic win yesterday...
There is only one intermediate sprint on this 109.8km route today. It comes with 30km to go.
The neutral start is due in around five minutes with the official race start coming just 17 minutes later.
The riders have started the 7.4km neutralised section out of Lobios, the smallest start town of the race this year with a population of just 1766.
📍𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐒🙌 ¡Salida neutralizada de la etapa 2️⃣!💪 Here is the stage 2️⃣ neutral start!#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/noY6UI8Vh6May 4, 2026
With Rüegg in red after stage 1, the green points jersey is being worn by Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
Selfie del día 🤳🥹Startline selfie 🤳😍#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/4BpF96mX02May 4, 2026
124 riders started today with Vos and Lea Lin Teutenberg (Lotto-Intermarché) being the only riders not to start today. The young German abandoned the race yesterday.
A steady start to the race sees no moves to form a break. This is the usual pattern, though. There is plenty of time for the race to open up.
The riders begin in overcast conditions but at a pleasant 14ºC. A little bit of a chill for riders getting used to the warmer weather. Not much wind but what there is of it is coming from the west, meaning it is a gentle crosswind for the moment. Unfortunately for the riders, we are getting some more Galician weather with some rain set to join the riders for the second part of the day.
It has been quite the season so far from Noemi Rüegg. With the EF Education-Oatly rider coming off the back of defending her title at the Tour Down Under in January. Since then, she has been super consistent with multiple top 10s and several podiums.
"I knew this finish was perfect for me. If I could draw my dream stage, it would end exactly like this," said Rüegg, in reference to the short climb to the line in Galicia, where an explosive uphill sprint was required.
"I knew I could trust in a long sprint, so I knew from the last corner I wanted to go full gas and all in. The team put me in a great position and I just went all out from the last corner. I didn't want to have any regrets. I had a gap pretty much immediately and was like 'ok just keep going', then I looked back and saw I could make it to the finish. It’s a dream.
"The team believed in me so much and it was big goal to go for the win, but the girls believed in it more than I did," Rüegg added, hinting at a level of confidence that will surely only grow from here.
>>> The rise of Rüegg: Why the Vuelta Femenina win is a breakthrough moment for the Swiss puncheur
There's been a couple of moves to try and get away but nothing of any note. Each time someone tries to just sneak off the front, the rest of the pack follows.
The pace in the peloton suddenly changes with Lidl-Trek coming to the front. This has caught a few riders off guard and has seen a split form in the bunch.
The riders are travelling over a mix of dry and wet roads with lots of mud on the grassy verges that could be washed onto the road and cause a hazard.
It has been a chaotic period of the race with several riders trying to form a break but the peloton are having none of it.
🏁 95 km | Etapa 2️⃣ - Stage 2️⃣ 🫧🫧 Carretera mojada, mucha velocidad e intentos de fuga en estos primeros kilómetros 💥 Wet roads, high speeds and several breakaway attempts mark the opening kilometres racecenter.lavueltafemenina.es/es/ #LaVueltaFemenina
— @lavueltafem.bsky.social (@lavueltafem.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-05-04T12:47:32.861Z
The race heads onto the Alto do Vieiro. The uncategorised climb is 11.2km long and has kickers of over 10%. A chance for a break to go?
Immediately, an answer may be coming to that question as a gap is formed between the peloton and an attacker.
More riders are trying to bridge to the leading duo.
And those counter moves only achievement was to drag the race back together again.
It is all very cagey in the peloton. No-one is willing to let a breakaway form.
Now the pace has completely dropped and there's nothing happening. It has been very stop-start so far today.
After one hour of racing the average speed is at 33.5kph.
Abandon
The Kiwi has been struggling with illness and was unable to continue.
A new move gets a small gap on the peloton.
Attack
Carina Schrempf (Fenix-Premier Tech)
Andrea Casagranda (Vini Fantini-Bepink)
Julie van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Marieke Meert (Lotto-Intermarché)
Léa Rondel (Mayenne-Monbana-Mypie)
The gap expands to 30".
48" gap now as this five rider break continues to work well together.
Now over a minute for the leaders.
After some damp roads at the start, the riders have a bit of sunshine beating down on their shoulders.
The break are working well together, though. Schrempf, Casagranda, Meert, Van de Velde, and Rondel are doing a good job.
Now on a bit of a rise and the pace in the bunch is seeing some riders get dropped out of the back. Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto) and Sterre Vervloet (Lotto-Intermarché) are two of them.
The break have managed to extend their gap back out to around a minute.
The peloton are just holding the break at about a minute.
About 7km to the intermediate sprint.
Lidl-Trek clearly choosing this moment to try and split things.
The break of five out front still have 30" on the peloton.
Meanwhile, out front, the break is fracturing under the pressure of Van de Velde. She has dropped Rondel and Casagranda.
30km to go
🏁 29,8 km | Etapa 2️⃣ Stage 2️⃣ 💚 𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐀 1️⃣ 🇦🇹 Carina Schrempf - Fenix - Premier Tech | 25 p. - 6" 2️⃣ 🇧🇪 Julie Van De Velde - AG Insurance - Soudal | 20 p. - 4" 3️⃣ 🇧🇪 Marieke Meert - Lotto Intermarche Ladies | 15 p. - 2" 👋 Škoda | #LaVueltaFemenina
— @lavueltafem.bsky.social (@lavueltafem.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-05-04T14:36:39.467Z
Lidl-Trek lead the peloton with EF Education-Oatly and UAE Team ADQ all up to the front. Visma-Lease a Bike, SD Worx-Protime and Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto being pushed out for the moment.
And that is the breakaway caught with 27km to go.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto) has come to the front for the first time today as the attacks were threatening to take things out of control. UAE Team ADQ are trying to do just that though, control things.
UAE Team ADQ, Visma-Lease a Bike, EF Education-Oatly and SD Worx-Protime leading the way.
The riders are powering along dry roads in lovely sunshine, but they have rain ahead of them. It is currently raining at the finish.
The pace is really high as the riders come close to the finish. The riders who are going out the back are taking the chance to take rain jackets before the team cars move on.
Hanson leading the peloton. Multiple sprint and GC leaders right up towards the front of the peloton. Ferrand-Prévot looks like she's just floating on the bike today.
Uno-X Mobility comes to the front of the peloton. Faulkner gets back in after one last stop at the team car.
Abandon
Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly)
The Swiss rider abandons in the red leader's jersey.
Very sketchy descent here. on a mix of wet and dry roads as the riders come in after the rain.
4km to go and Aalerud is holding her gap very well.
The French national champion of Marie Le Net (FDJ United-Suez) tried to go clear but SD Worx-Protime take control.
SD Worx-Protime appear to be working for Bredewold.
3km to go and the rain is coming down. Aalerud still has a gap but FDJ United-Suez come to the front with Eva van Agt leading out Franziska Koch.
Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-Suez) tried a move but all the GC names come to the front and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) takes over the pacing with 2.5km to go.
Berthet's move brought Aalerud back. Now, with 2km to go, Van der Breggen leads the way with Niewiadoma-Phinney locked on her wheel. Ferrand-Prévot right up there as well as Lippert, Blasi and the rest all following.
500 metres to go.
Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) wins stage 2 of La Vuelta Femenina 2026!
Kopecky was given the perfect leadout but she launched late. Bossuyt was already in full sprint with Kopecky then changing her line dramatically and bumping into Bossuyt who, somehow, didn't get disturbed in her sprint where Kopecky lost all her momentum.
Franziska Koch took second on the day and will wear red tomorrow after Noemi Rüegg abandoned after crashing.
It is the biggest win for Shari Bossuyt's career. What a moment for her. The Belgian rider was in floods of tears after the finish.
What a year 2026 continues to be for Franziska Koch. The FDJ United-Suez rider has a long list of top results but also the win at Paris-Roubaix and now the race lead at La Vuelta Femenina.
And the good news keeps coming for Koch as she also takes over the lead of the points classification.
With no QOM points on offer today, Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) holds onto her polka-dot jersey after finishing safely.
Double delight for AG Insurance-Soudal as they also take the white best young rider jersey with Lore De Schepper. The former wearer, Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) crashed with Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly)but she managed to finish 2'29" down on the winner today.
Tomorrow's stage is the clearest sprinters stage of the entire week with the riders taking on the 121.2km route from Padrón (famed for it's peppers) to A Coruña (most famed for it's football team).
It will be another day that red jersey Koch will hope to continue her rise through the rankings and turn her third and second into first.
