Team SD Worx - Protime

Mischa Bredewold hopes to win again at @ehitzulia “This is a special race for me.” Mischa Bredewold has fond memories of previous editions of Itzulia. She has already claimed four stage victories and finished runner-up twice in the general classification. Itzulia has also been a successful race for Team SD Worx-Protime, as the team has won every stage over the past four editions, except for one. With Mischa Bredewold, Blanka Vas, Steffi Häberlin, Mikayla Harvey and Valentina Cavallara, Team SD Worx-Protime once again lines up with a strong and versatile squad. Mischa Bredewold: “The Itzulia course suits me well. I also see the timing on the calendar as a big advantage. After the Vuelta Femenina, you get that supercompensation effect. The climbs suit me in terms of distance too. They are often tough stages that still end in a sprint—but usually high-speed sprints, because the roads often descend slightly in the final straight.” “We got a boost from the winning feeling in the Vuelta. The sprints and lead-outs also gave me the rhythm I need for what’s coming next. I’m happy I was able to take my first win and finally get off the mark. I had been knocking on the door for a while and could feel the form was there. Then it can be frustrating when it doesn’t come together immediately. I set myself the goal of taking my first stage victory in a Grand Tour this season. At the Vuelta, everything fell into place.” “I’m heading to Itzulia with confidence. I’d really like to win another stage. In the past two years, that also helped me secure a place on the overall podium thanks to bonus seconds. On the final climb in San Sebastian, I cracked each time, though. This year we take the climb from the other side, which is slightly less steep. I think that should suit me better. But let’s take it day by day. We have a strong team at the start. With Steffi Häberlin, Mikayla Harvey and Valentina Cavallara, we have a solid climbing group that can also help control the race. And Blanka Vas and I can go for the sprints.” #wesparksuccess

Lorena Wiebes wins Marly Grav. Wout van Aert is the winner at the mens edition. #marlygrav @lorenawiebes

Sports director Danny Stam after the Vuelta Femenina: "I think we’ve had a very beautiful Vuelta Femenina, with three stage wins. Of course, we had hoped to bring home the general classification as well, but the Angliru doesn't lie. It’s a climb where you have to ride your own pace. Anna handled that choice well. We hoped the steeper sections might work in her favor. In the second part, things went a bit better, but in the end, you’re stuck with a 24-second deficit in the standings. That makes the feeling about this otherwise wonderful Vuelta somewhat bittersweet. Most of all, we should look back with great pride at how the team rode in this tour. The disappointment prevails right now, which is part of elite sports. However, we need to move past that quickly and look at what we’ve achieved as a team. We came here with the goal of taking a stage win and seeing if a podium finish in the GC was possible. We’ve more than achieved that. The team did a truly superb job." Photo: @GettySport

Anna van der Breggen after her second place in the GC of the Vuelta Femenina: "I did my best, but it wasn't quite enough, and that really sucks right now. I fought for all I was worth, but in the end, I just came up short. It’s extra painful because I actually got quite close on the final steep section of the Angliru; being 24 seconds behind Paula Blasi on a climb like that is basically nothing. Once the pain in your legs fades, you think, 'if only I hadn't let that gap go,' but on the bike, it felt like a massive difference at the time. Still, pride is the overwhelming feeling when I look at the whole team. With three stage wins and the green jersey, we've had a fantastic Vuelta Femenina. After my comeback, I had hoped that fighting for the overall victory in a Grand Tour would be possible again, and it’s amazing to be this close to the top already. This gives me the confidence to keep building on this path." Photo: @GettySport

What a great @LaVueltaFem from @AnnavdBreggen taking 🥈 2nd place overall ❤️👏 📸 @gettysport #wesparksuccess

A masterpiece performance by @LotteKopecky who takes home the green jersey of @LaVueltaFem 💚 📸 @gettysport

THIS TEAM 🤩🏆 🥇🥇🥇 3 stage wins with 3 different riders 🥈 2nd in the overall classification 💚 Green jersey winner 🏆 Winner of the team classification ❤️❤️❤️ 3 stages in red PROUD 👏 📸 @gettysport #wesparksuccess

😍😍 ¡VAYA PODIO!😍😍 🥇 Paula Blasi - @UAETeamADQ 🥈 Anna van der Breggen - @teamsdworx 🥉 Marion Bunel - @visma_lab_women #LaVueltaFemenina

What a fight by our queen @AnnavdBreggen 🥈 She faced the high slopes of the Angliru, finishing 5th in the stage. AVDB kept on fighting & secured second place on the GC. Congrats on another huge performance Anna. Incredible comeback so far 💯 Congratulations to Petra Stiasny for a historical win & Paula Blasi for the overall victory 👏 📸 @GettySport

Anna van der Breggen’s bike setup to tackle the fearsome Angliru 🔎

🥘 Hoy en l’Angliru tenemos paella en el menú del día 🙃 😳 Anna's cassette for climbing... you could eat from that thing! 📸 @cxcling | #LaVueltaFemenina

🏁 35 km | Etapa 7️⃣ - Stage 7️⃣ ⚡️ Sigue la lucha por la Montaña mientras se acerca la batalla final 🔥 💥 The battle for mountain points is on while Angliru slowly but surely comes closer ⛰ 2️⃣ 𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐎 1️⃣ 🇩🇪 Liane Lippert - @Movistar_Team - 10 p. 2️⃣ 🇳🇱 Riejanne Markus - @LidlTrek - 8 p. 3️⃣ 🇳🇱 Femke Markus - @teamsdworx - 6 p. 👋 @fundaciondepjov - @deportegob | #LaVueltaFemenina

🏁 17 km | Etapa 7️⃣ Stage 7️⃣ 👏 Lotte Kopecky, con todo de cara para llevarse el maillot verde de #LaVueltaFemenina 💥 Lotte's got it! Green is hers as long as she finishes the stage 🥰 💚 𝐋𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐒 1️⃣ 🇳🇱 Riejanne Markus - @LidlTrek | 25 p. - 6" 2️⃣ 🇩🇪 Liane Lippert - @Movistar_Team | 20 p. - 4" 3️⃣ 🇳🇱 Femke Markus - @teamsdworx | 15 p. - 2" 4️⃣ 🇩🇪 Franzi Koch - @FDJ_SUEZ | 12 p. 5️⃣ 🇧🇪 Lotte Kopecky - @teamsdworx | 10 p. 👋 @skoda_es

Etapa 6️⃣ | Stage 6️⃣ 🏆 @AnnavdBreggen - @teamsdworx 🏆 ❤️ 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐀 #LaVueltaFemenina

🏆 Líderes tras la etapa 6️⃣ | Leaders after stage 6️⃣ 🥇 @AnnavdBreggen - @teamsdworx #LaVueltaFemenina

AVDB 🎩❤️ We simply can’t get enough 🤩 Follow us on TikTok for more. 🎥 Vuelta / ASO

Anna Van der Breggen takes control in the Vuelta Femenina, wins heroic stage & takes the red jersey Anna van der Breggen delivered a masterclass on Les Praeres. Nava. The Dutch icon won the first mountain stage of this Vuelta Femenina and thus takes over the red jersey from teammate Lotte Kopecky, who will start in green tomorrow. Van der Breggen set the pace from the foot of the climb and finished solo at the top. It marks a third consecutive stage victory for Team SD Worx-Protime in this Vuelta Femenina. Tomorrow, Van der Breggen will start the tough final stage towards the Angliru as the overall leader, with an 18-second advantage. “It was a fight today on this tough climb. I’m incredibly happy with this victory,” said Van der Breggen. Anna van der Breggen: “It was a very difficult day today. It was a constant battle. I had never seen a climb like this. At the start of the stage, I still felt the effects of yesterday’s crash. One muscle was very painful, but it kept getting better throughout the day. Then I started to believe that I could ride at my normal level again. The riders also protected me really well. It was all about fighting as hard as possible.” “To then finish it off like this with a stage win makes me incredibly happy. This is a special victory on a unique climb. It was already very steep at the start, but it just kept going steep all the way. The key was to set a good pace and maintain it. To pace it as well as possible. Fortunately, it was enough for the stage win and the red jersey. Tomorrow will be even more climbing over a longer distance. We will try to get the maximum out of it,” Van der Breggen added. Lotte Kopecky: “We started this Vuelta Femenina a bit slowly, but once we started winning, it hasn’t stopped so far. I heard in my earpiece that Anna van der Breggen was riding incredibly strongly on this climb. It’s a pleasure to see her take over the red jersey. What do I expect for tomorrow? On the Angliru, you never know. Today was a good test, but tomorrow is something else again. We need to have confidence, but also be cautious. One bad day on such a climb and it’s over. But of course, Anna will do everything she can to defend the jersey.” Photo: (c) Getty Images

The legendary Anna van der Breggen ladies & gentlemen 🎩 @AnnavdBreggen wins the heroic sixth stage of @LaVueltaFem 😱🤩 #wesparksuccess 📸 @GettySport

Mischa Bredewold wins stage five of La Vuelta Femenina, Lotte Kopecky retains red after finishing second Another one-two for Team SD Worx-Protime in the Vuelta Femenina. The team’s dream scenario came true. Mischa Bredewold won the sprint, while red jersey Lotte Kopecky controlled the sprint and finished second. For Bredewold, it is her first victory in a Grand Tour and her first of 2026. Anna van der Breggen crashed in the final kilometers but sustained no injuries. “This is a dream scenario,” said an overjoyed Mischa Bredewold. Mischa Bredewold: “I am very happy with this first win of the season. This finish was similar to the one where I finished second last year. The fact that we won a stage yesterday and took the red jersey put us in a luxurious position. I am incredibly grateful to the team and to Lotte Kopecky that I was given the freedom to express my ambition to sprint. We were obviously here in the Vuelta with Lotte for the sprint. It took some puzzling with the stages to possibly give me a chance as well.” “We had a dream scenario in mind for today and it came true. The dream plan was that I would be given the freedom to sprint with Lotte in my wheel and that Lotte would come over me if needed. Of course, we knew that this was truly an ultimate dream scenario, but it actually happened. I am so grateful to the girls. Hats off to them. They were incredibly strong. We were in control the whole day and the headwind made it difficult for them. The finale was also super hectic. I hope everyone involved in the crash is okay. Anna van der Breggen thankfully seemed to be at first sight. Now we will fight full on for her general classification.” Lotte Kopecky: “This was a great day. Team SD Worx-Protime took control from the start. As we got closer to the finale, it became more and more hectic. Especially with the rain, we had to be careful. We knew this finish suited us well, so we wanted to try to win in this way. I kept an eye on whether anyone was coming from behind and it’s great that Mischa could take the win. I’m enjoying this red jersey, but after tomorrow it will no longer be mine. But these were two very beautiful days!” Danny Stam: “This gives a great feeling. We take the victory and keep the red jersey. It’s sometimes difficult when you have two leaders who can both finish it so well. In the first stages, we backed Lotte. We especially wanted to keep the red jersey within the team, preferably with a stage win. But Lotte showed herself as a true champion. She said: I have a stage win plus the red jersey; if I can give something back, then I will do that. But the main goal is to win the stage. When you see how Lotte controls the sprint, it shows what a top champion and super teammate she is.” Anna van der Breggen: “I’m okay. I almost managed to avoid the crash, but unfortunately not at the very last moment. We had seen the rain clouds threatening for a while and unfortunately the rain started in the last three kilometers. It was extremely slippery. I was involved in the crash, but fortunately I am okay.” Photos (c) Getty Images

Let us say that teamwork really makes the dream work! 🚀🚀 Congrats to the whole team with another amazing victory! 💪🏼 #wesparksuccess 📸 @GettySport