GC and jerseys after La Vuelta Femenina 2026 stage 5

Mathew Mitchell

Published on May 7, 2026
in Vuelta Femenina, Women's Cycling

Lotte Kopecky strengthened her hold on the red jersey after Stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina 2026, as SD Worx-Protime delivered another one-two finish in Astorga. Mischa Bredewold won the stage ahead of Kopecky, with Letizia Paternoster taking 3rd after a sprint finish that again came with late-race tension and crashes.

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The result means Kopecky goes into the first true summit finish with a slightly larger cushion. She now leads the general classification on 15:04:47, 12 seconds ahead of Franziska Koch and 18 seconds ahead of Cédrine Kerbaol. Bredewold’s victory moves her up to 4th overall at 22 seconds, while Anna van der Breggen sits 5th at 26 seconds after being caught up in a late crash but receiving the same time as the front group.

The overall picture has shifted again. The opening five stages have been shaped by bonus seconds, sprints and positioning, but Stage 6 to Les Praeres should finally move the race onto pure climbing terrain. Kopecky still leads, SD Worx-Protime now have three riders inside the top five, and the specialist climbers are still close enough to transform the race.

For the wider route picture, our La Vuelta Femenina 2026 full route guide breaks down the final two stages, including Les Praeres and the Angliru.

ASTORGA, SPAIN - MAY 07: Mischa Bredewold of Netherlands and Team SD Worx - Protime celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 12th La Vuelta Femenina 2026, Stage 5 a 119.6km stage from Leon to Astorga / #UCIWWT / on May 07, 2026 in Astorga, Spain. (Photo by Szymon Gruchalski/Getty Images)

La Vuelta Femenina 2026 GC after stage 5

Kopecky’s Stage 5 did exactly what she needed. She did not win the stage, but her 2nd place brought another six bonus seconds and extended her lead over Koch from six seconds to 12. That is still not a large advantage with two summit finishes left, but it gives her more room before the race reaches Les Praeres.

Bredewold was the biggest mover in the top five. Her stage victory brought the maximum finish bonus and lifted her to 4th overall at 22 seconds. That gives SD Worx-Protime another rider high in the standings, alongside Kopecky and Van der Breggen, and makes their tactical position stronger before the mountains.

Koch remains 2nd overall and still well placed after another safe finish in the front group. Kerbaol is 3rd at 18 seconds after the Stage 3 winner again stayed out of trouble. Van der Breggen sits 5th at 26 seconds, but the real test for her GC ambitions now comes on the steep summit finishes.

The wider group remains tightly packed. Sarah Van Dam and Évita Muzic are both 28 seconds down, Loes Adegeest is at 30 seconds, while Kasia Niewiadoma and Liane Lippert complete the top 10 at 32 seconds. Paula Blasi, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, Mavi Garcia, Usoa Ostolaza and Marion Bunel are also still close enough to climb sharply once the race reaches Les Praeres.

General classification top 10 after stage 5

Lotte Kopecky, SD Worx-Protime, 15:04:47
Franziska Koch, FDJ-Suez, +12
Cédrine Kerbaol, EF Education-Oatly, +18
Mischa Bredewold, SD Worx-Protime, +22
Anna van der Breggen, SD Worx-Protime, +26
Sarah Van Dam, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +28
Évita Muzic, FDJ-Suez, +28
Loes Adegeest, Lidl-Trek, +30
Kasia Niewiadoma, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, +32
Liane Lippert, Movistar, +32

Red jersey after stage 5

Kopecky remains in red after Stage 5 and has now built her race lead through consistency, sprint strength and repeated bonus seconds. She was 2nd on Stage 1, relegated on Stage 2, 2nd again on Stage 3, winner on Stage 4 and 2nd on Stage 5. That run has turned her into the clear leader before the climbing stages.

The question is whether that lead is big enough. Twelve seconds over Koch and 18 over Kerbaol is useful, but Les Praeres and the Angliru are very different tests from the uphill sprints and rolling stages that have shaped the race so far.

For SD Worx-Protime, the red jersey is only part of the picture. Bredewold is now 4th overall and Van der Breggen is 5th, giving the team three riders inside the top five. That gives them tactical cover if Kopecky comes under pressure on the steepest gradients.

Green jersey after stage 5

Kopecky also leads the points classification after Stage 5. Her 2nd place in Astorga added more points to the total she had already built through the opening stages, and she now has a firm grip on the green jersey competition.

Because Kopecky is wearing the red jersey, Koch is expected to continue as the on-road wearer of green on Stage 6. That reflects how strong her first five stages have been. Koch has not won a stage, but she has repeatedly finished high enough to score heavily and keep herself close in both the points competition and GC.

The shape of the green jersey battle may now change. Stage 6 and Stage 7 are summit finishes, which means the points available at the line could go to climbers rather than the riders who have dominated the opening sprints. Kopecky still has a healthy platform, but the race is about to become much less predictable.

Mountains jersey after stage 5

Marine Allione remains in the mountains jersey after Stage 5. The Mayenne Monbana My Pie rider took over the classification on Stage 4 after spending the day in the breakaway, and she still leads before the race reaches its first major summit finish.

Stage 5 included two category 3 climbs, so there was movement behind her, but the bigger shift in the mountains classification is still to come. Les Praeres and the Angliru will offer a completely different level of climbing, and the GC contenders are likely to become much more involved in the battle for points.

Allione’s spell in the jersey remains a strong reward for aggressive racing in the opening half of the race. From Stage 6 onward, though, the competition should become much harder to defend against the pure climbers.

White jersey after stage 5

Gaia Segato moved into the white jersey after Stage 5, taking the lead in the young rider classification on countback because she is on the same time as Lore De Schepper in the general classification. Both riders remain within the large group sitting at 32 seconds overall, but Segato’s higher placing gives her the jersey before the first major summit finish.

That makes the white jersey battle unusually tight heading into the mountains. De Schepper had worn the jersey through the previous stages after a consistent opening to the race, but Segato has now edged ahead without a time gap between them. In a race where crashes, sprint finishes and bonus seconds have shaped the early classifications, position on the road has been enough to decide the jersey for now.

The next two days will be the real test. The white jersey battle has so far been shaped by survival and positioning, but Les Praeres and the Angliru should now show which young riders can climb with the best.

Team classification after stage 5

UAE Team ADQ continue to lead the team classification after Stage 5 on 45:15:12, with several teams still close behind. Their position remains built on depth rather than one standout GC leader.

Paula Blasi and Mavi Garcia both remain within 32 seconds overall, while Erica Magnaldi, Maëva Squiban and Karlijn Swinkels give the team enough climbing support to stay relevant as the race finally turns uphill. UAE Team ADQ have not won a stage yet, but their collective consistency has kept them at the top of the team standings.

The final two stages will make that classification much harder to control. Team classifications often stay compact through mixed terrain, then change quickly once the climbs split groups apart. UAE’s depth should help, but Les Praeres and the Angliru will test the whole squad properly.

What the standings mean before stage 6

The race now changes character. The first five stages have rewarded positioning, repeated sprint strength, bonus-second hunting and the ability to avoid crashes. Stage 6 to Les Praeres should finally reveal which riders can climb with the best on genuinely severe gradients.

Kopecky has earned red, but she now has to defend it on terrain that suits the specialist climbers more naturally. Koch and Kerbaol are still close, Bredewold and Van der Breggen give SD Worx-Protime tactical strength, and the deeper GC riders have not yet had the terrain to make their move.

Ferrand-Prévot, Niewiadoma, Muzic, Lippert, Moolman Pasio, Garcia, Blasi, Ostolaza, Bunel and Cavallar are all names that could become more relevant from this point. The race has been close and chaotic so far, but Les Praeres should finally create the first true climbing hierarchy.

Our La Vuelta Femenina 2026 stage 6 preview looks ahead to the first summit finish, while the La Vuelta Femenina 2026 contenders preview tracks the wider GC picture before the decisive climbs.