Évita Muzic she has always been a very promising climber, but in recent years she has climbed the last steps at great speed. Those promises have today been transformed into a very prestigious victory at the Vuelta España, not from the escape as in the last stage of Giro 2020 (when behind him arrived two others then emerging as Niamh Fisher-Black and Juliette Labous), but in a direct face to face with Demi Vollering, who has dug another important furrow for his red jersey.
TO The Black Lagoon the twenty-four year old Frenchwoman has achieved a success of great value in the face of the one who, according to increasingly insistent rumours, will be her captain for the next few years, given that she has recently renewed with FDJ-Suez until 2027. However, there is no room for second thoughts on early concessions, because Muzic earned the victory by exploiting in the very last meters the only possible flaw in Vollering’s very solid performance, who once again tried and almost managed to break away from all in step, included Elisa Longo Borghini, still firmly in second place overall. With this victory Muzic instead climbs to sixth place, equaling last year’s placing, when he lost time in the fans and then recovered on the climbs. The same operation he will want to complete on Sundaywhen he will find another climb perfect for his characteristics.
Vuelta España 2024, the news of the sixth stage
The first important news arrives in the morning, before leaving Tarazona: it won’t start again Gaia Realiniwho suffered a mild concussion in yesterday’s fall, as well as suffering pain in his elbow and chest, and also withdraws Kasia Niewiadoma: “Having dealt with a slight illness since the Ardennes, our medical staff have decided that the best thing for Kasia is to leave the race early to allow for a full recovery”we read in the press release. The Canyon//SRAM continues his unlucky day and week with the fall of Ricarda Bauernfeind in the transfer, but the German can continue the stage.
The uphill start with the Alto de la Colorada invites several attempts to form a large breakaway: he tries several times Petra Stiasny (Fenix-Deceuninck), while Movistar releases first Jelena Eric and then as a couple Liane Lippert And Olivia Baril, but all these small groups will be taken back. He then tries it alone Eva van Agt (Team Visma Lease a Bike), whose action was rejected by the headwind. It takes almost fifty kilometers for the right quartet: initially on the attack Laura Molenaar (VolkerWessels) e Claudia San Justo (Eneicat-CMTeam), reached by Fauve Bastiaenssen (Dstny Lot) e Aurela Nerlo (Winspace).
The breakaways quickly gain an advantage of over three minutes, in the long, almost flat stretch that leads to the final climb. A fairly calm approach for the group, controlled by the SD Worx Protime and from Team Visma Lease a Bike. At -20 the group is now only twenty-five seconds behind, while Molenaar and Bastiaenssens go ahead, continuing to sprint away alone. The former Belgian basketball player (in the national team up to the under 20s, teammate of several of the current European champions) is caught shortly before the flying finish line in Vinuesa, where Marianne Vos passes first and consolidates her green jersey.
Please don’t stop the Muzic
And the Lidl Trek to lead the group at the start of the La Laguna Negra climb (6.5 km at 6.7%), tackled for the first time in the Vuelta. Vos also makes himself available to Riejanne MarkusWhile Grace Brown he sets the pace for the first kilometers of the climb. The pace of the Australian FDJ-Suez makes a first significant skimming, and is -4 from the tophe leaves the task to Demi Vollering. This time the red jersey controls from the head without particularly accelerating, while behind him some important pieces begin to lose themselves, including one Sarah Gigante less bright than yesterday.
It takes almost two kilometers before Marlen Reusser he decided to help his captain, at a time when the pace was slowing down. Less than two kilometers from the top in the group of the best there are still more than tenwith all the best ones already seen yesterday and one surprising one Ingvild Gåskjenn (Liv AlUla Jayco), who continues her incredible form even in a climb that is theoretically a little out of her depth. The first to try instead Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), which again forces Vollering to close, while Reusser finishes his work and breaks away.
Fourteen hundred meters from the finish line we all return together, with the red jersey counting behind us. At Vollering’s wheel there are still Elisa Longo Borghini and Yara Kastelijnthe immediate pursuers also yesterday in Jaca, who today too, however, let go around 600 meters, on Vollering’s further lash. They can’t follow Markus, Bauernfeind and either Juliette Labous, while a brilliant Évita Muzic jumps on the wheel, remaining glued throughout the final forcing on one of the hardest sections of the climb. In Vollering’s mind the main thing is to gain as many seconds as possible on Longo Borghini and the others from a general perspective, while Muzic kept something for the finale and he goes on to take the victory with a sprint in the final metres.
With this victory the Frenchwoman climbs to sixth place in the standings, a 2’42” from an increasingly leading Vollering. Longo Borghini closes the stage in fifth place at 21″, separated in the last meters from Kastelijn and Markus, and now pays 56″ from the red jersey. Labous, Bauernfeind and also gain positions Niamh Fisher-BlackWhile Kristen Faulkner reaches over two minutes and drops to tenth place. Worth noting is another excellent performance by Monica Trinca Colonel (Bepink-Bongioanni), once again among the top twenty uphill in the first important stage race of her very young career.
