Having won the Classic Lorient Agglomération-Ceratizit three years in a row from 2023 to 2025, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) started the 2026 with the bib number 1 and as one of the big favourites. After a hard race where she was left with little team support in the final, Bredewold almost took a fourth consecutive victory but was outsprinted by Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) in the end to finish in second place.

“If we’re honest, the race did not go the way we had hoped. We lost Lisa van Belle, Femke Gerritse and Nienke Vinke earlier than expected, and then Mikayla Harvey crashed out of the race. On the other hand, Elena Cecchini and Mischa Bredewold rode very strongly. At one point, Mischa became isolated, which meant she had to do too much work on her own,” said SD Worx-Protime sport director Christian Kos.

Bredewold was seen closing down an attack by Anastasiya Kolesava (Canyon-SRAM) with 25km to go and was also among the riders reacting to a move by Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) with 13.3km to go.

When Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) and Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team L’Imad) attacked on the Côte de Ty Marrec, less than 6km from the finish, Bredewold was the one who tried to close the gap as soon as possible, recognising the danger of giving these two riders even a small advantage.

However, it was only when Lidl-Trek took over the chase in numbers that the two late attackers were brought back, and Bredewold then focused on her sprint, launching with almost 500 metres to go.

“She did her sprint the way she wanted to, although she may have started just a little too early. Only Elisa Balsamo was able to pass her thanks to a particularly powerful sprint. Naturally, disappointment is the main feeling at the moment and we are frustrated. But Mischa came very close to a fourth consecutive victory and delivered an excellent performance,” Kos finished.

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Having won the Classic Lorient Agglomération-Ceratizit three years in a row from 2023 to 2025, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) started the 2026 with the bib number 1 and as one of the big favourites. After a hard race where she was left with little team support in the final, Bredewold almost took a fourth consecutive victory but was outsprinted by Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) in the end to finish in second place.

“If we’re honest, the race did not go the way we had hoped. We lost Lisa van Belle, Femke Gerritse and Nienke Vinke earlier than expected, and then Mikayla Harvey crashed out of the race. On the other hand, Elena Cecchini and Mischa Bredewold rode very strongly. At one point, Mischa became isolated, which meant she had to do too much work on her own,” said SD Worx-Protime sport director Christian Kos.

Bredewold was seen closing down an attack by Anastasiya Kolesava (Canyon-SRAM) with 25km to go and was also among the riders reacting to a move by Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) with 13.3km to go.

When Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) and Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team L’Imad) attacked on the Côte de Ty Marrec, less than 6km from the finish, Bredewold was the one who tried to close the gap as soon as possible, recognising the danger of giving these two riders even a small advantage.

However, it was only when Lidl-Trek took over the chase in numbers that the two late attackers were brought back, and Bredewold then focused on her sprint, launching with almost 500 metres to go.

“She did her sprint the way she wanted to, although she may have started just a little too early. Only Elisa Balsamo was able to pass her thanks to a particularly powerful sprint. Naturally, disappointment is the main feeling at the moment and we are frustrated. But Mischa came very close to a fourth consecutive victory and delivered an excellent performance,” Kos finished.

For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You’ll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.