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Swiss micro-climber Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health) made history Saturday at La Vuelta Femenina by becoming the first woman to win on the notorious summit of the Angliru.
The 24-year-old tamed the brutal summit on La Vuelta’s 7th and final stage as Paula Blasi (UAE ADQ) confirmed herself as a new superpower of the Women’s WorldTour.
Blasi crossed the line second to win the red jersey in what’s just the first stage-race trophy of her young career.
The 23-year-old Spaniard has been one of the revelations of the season, with marquee victory at E3 Saxo Classic and top-10s all through the spring.
Not even an MTB drivetrain could save overnight race-leader Anna van der Breggen from the merciless Angliru.
The SD Worx-protime veteran cracked at around 4km to go and couldn’t do enough to salvage her 18-second overall advantage.
Van der Breggen finished second overall. Visma-Lease a Bike’s French prodigy Marion Bunel took third spot on the final podium.
Blasi said she was made to suffer for her palmarès-topping overall win.
“The best thing I could do was just not think about [the Angliru],” Blasi said at the finish. “I knew it would be about 50 minutes, and after 5 minutes I was already at the limit. So I said, ‘just keep going at your pace. If you can go like this, you stay [in contention]’.
“But then I started seeing Anna van der Breggen struggling, and I said ‘let’s go for it,’” Blasi said.
For Blasi, the suffering was worth it.
Stiasny first woman to win on Angliru
Standing 1.60 meters tall and weighing in at around 43kg, Stiasny was made for the Angliru.
The Human Powered Health climber countered an initial acceleration from Blasi on the steepest slopes of the Angliru and made a relentless slow-motion TT for a historic victory.
“I can’t believe it … I’m lost for words, for me it’s incredible,” Stiasny said at the finish.
“When they announced the Angliru would be part of the Vuelta, I had only one thing in my head. For me, it was a dream to win this stage,” she said.
Saturday was a landmark moment for women’s cycling as the bunch took on the Angliru for the first time.
The Asturian monster averages 9.7 percent gradient across its 12 kilometers of rutted, pitted tarmac. With ramps pitching toward 25 percent and a 3km stretch that averages more than 15 percent, it’s one of the most devastating climbs in European cycling.
The women’s peloton – and particularly Van der Breggen – felt its full force Saturday.
La Vuelta España Femenina stage 7 results
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