French rider Cédrine Kerbaol claimed the stage win in A Coruña, while Paula Blasi crossed the finish line in fifth place to climb to ninth in the overall classification of the Vuelta. In the team bus area, Mavi García was the first to arrive and began spinning on a stationary bike to recover her leg muscles, a common practice in professional cycling regardless of gender. Blasi, however, was slow to finish on a stage through the Coruña countryside that lacked big climbs but was brutally tough, with only 36 riders reaching the main peloton.
It was a day full of scares, including one for Blasi when she fell, fortunately without injury. “I saw a coin on the road and bent down to pick it up,” she joked in the team parking area, where she was the last rider from her squad to arrive. She kept taking selfies, chatting with fans, young cycling tourists aspiring to turn professional, and children — a quiet Galicia that is gradually starting to discover the Catalan rider. Yes, people are beginning to know who Blasi is, and she repays them by occasionally launching attacks at the front of the peloton.
Paula Blasi tested her rivals.
/ UAE TEAM ADQ
French rider Cédrine Kerbaol surprised the peloton — the same rider who two years ago became the first local woman to win on the new Tour de France route. More precisely, Kerbaol caught Lotte Kopecky off guard, who had been the favorite to win near the Riazor stadium, close to the statue honoring Arsenio Iglesias, the legendary coach of Superdepor in a city that seizes any excuse — including the women’s Vuelta — to wear the football team’s jersey.
Blasi always races as close as possible to Mavi García, who is far more experienced in week-long stage races. She follows the advice of the Mallorcan rider on how best to shelter herself, while staying alert enough to respond to attacks from Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma, who wants to prove every day that she is the top favorite to win the Vuelta. But to do so, she needs permission from a small group of contenders for glory, among them Blasi, who is delighted to find herself among the best in the race after the first three days.
Stage breaks are the spice of any race, whether men or women are competing. But when the main teams control the pace, the escapees can do little more than enjoy a few minutes of television fame. Blasi, however, seemed in no hurry to leave after the stage ended. She stopped again for more photos and words of encouragement delivered in person, until her team helpers arrived to tell her the bus was waiting — time for a shower, rest on the seat, and onward to Santiago de Compostela, the Galician capital where the Vuelta teams are staying.
The general classification.
/ LA VUELTA
There is one more stage in Galicia before Blasi and the rest of the riders head into the roads of León, a bridge to the two summit finishes that will decide the race — above all, the Angliru, where everything will be settled. That climb does not scare Blasi, though for now she prefers to focus on the Galician course: a typical route, like pilgrims walking toward Santiago, with no high mountains but also no straight stretches to recover the spirit.
German rider Franzis Koch held onto the red jersey with great difficulty. When Niewiadoma and Blasi played their cards, Koch suffered behind, but always managed to latch back on in a Vuelta where each stage aims to eliminate rivals, and with a small group of favorites already emerging.
