Vuelta a Andalucia Women: Dronova earns stage 1 uphill sprint victory

Tamara Dronova (Israel-Premier Tech Roland) won the first stage of the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ruta Del Sol Women on a slightly uphill finish in La Zubia, and with the victory takes the first leader's jersey.

Linda Zanetti (UAE Development Team) finished second ahead of Michaela Drummond (Farto-BTC Women’s Cycling), who took third place in the bunch finish.

The 116.km route from Alcalá la Real to La Zubia, located in the Sierra Nevada National Park, was the longest of the five-day stage race.

With 110 riders at the start, the peloton stayed together for the first 26.5km to Íllora for the first of three intermediate sprints. Alicia Gonzalez (Movistar) took the three points at the line ahead of Makayla Macpherson (Human Powered Health), with Lina Marcela Hernandez (Colombia Pacto Por El Deporte - GW Shimano) trailing for the final point.

Another 15km along and the terrain changed character for a relentless day of climbing, with a long, uphill procession of 20km to the base of first of two classified climbs, both category 3. With 47km to go, Ana Cristina Sanabria (Colombia Pacto Por El Deporte - GW Shimano) had escaped on a solo attack and took the QOM points across Alto de Cacín (7.5km at 3.5%), followed by Lourdes Oyarbide (Movistar).

The main group caught Sanabria across the next 11.6km, which led to the second categorised climb at Alto de Ventas de Huelma (4.6km at 5%). Across the top, Oyarbide took the most mountain points in front of Jessenia Meneses (Colombia Pacto Por El Deporte - GW Shimano) and then Sanabria.

The peloton was all together for the second intermediate sprint in Ventas de Huelma, less than 8km from the top of the last climb, won by Maëva Squiban (Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime). 

The third and final intermedia sprint in Otura, set up the final 6.9km to the uphill sprint in La Zubia, where Dronova secured her first victory of the season.

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