Paula Blasi returned to racing in exactly the same way she had left La Vuelta Femenina, by winning. The UAE Team ADQ rider took victory at Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria with a decisive solo attack on the steep slopes of Goiuria, adding another major result to a remarkable spring and confirming that her level has not dipped after her Grand Tour breakthrough.
Évita Muzic finished second for FDJ United-SUEZ, with Alice Towers taking third for EF Education-Oatly after the pair were left to sprint for the remaining podium places behind Blasi. Lauren Dickson and Riejanne Markus completed the top five on a day that again showed just how difficult it is to respond once Blasi finds the moment she wants.
Photo Credit: GettyEarly break shapes the first half of the race
The 25th edition of Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria followed its usual selective pattern, with 113km of hilly racing around Durango, including four laps of Alto de Miota before the decisive sequence of Areitio and two ascents of Goiuria. With no former winners on the start list, the race was always going to produce a new name on the honours list, but the route itself made clear that only a rider able to handle repeated climbing efforts would have a real chance.
An early three-rider breakaway gave the race its first structure. Fariba Hashimi was joined by Eva Anguela and Leyre Almena from Cantabria Deporte-Rio Miera, and together they built an advantage that still stood at four minutes with 50km to go. It was a respectable lead, but the final circuit and the tougher climbs always looked likely to bring things back together.
Behind them, the expected teams gradually came to the front. UAE Team ADQ, FDJ United-SUEZ and EF Education-Oatly all contributed to the chase, and once the race entered the final circuit the leaders’ advantage began to come down quickly. Lidl-Trek briefly stretched things on an uncategorised rise before Areitio, creating a small split, but that first selection did not last.
Goiuria delivers the decisive move
Once the proper climbing began, the race changed sharply. The early break was caught with around 30km remaining as the pace on the first ascent of Goiuria thinned the peloton and exposed the strongest riders. Durango-Durango is often won this way. Not through one huge mountain effort, but by repeatedly asking the same question until the bunch can no longer answer as one.
The winning move formed on the second time up Goiuria. Blasi, Muzic, Towers, Magdeleine Vallieres and Riejanne Markus forced clear of the rest, immediately giving the race a front group that looked dangerous. It had enough climbing strength and enough cooperation to make the move stick, and for a while it looked as though the winner would come from those five without much doubt.
Then came another twist. On a short downhill section, Vallieres slid out on a corner and crashed, also delaying Markus. That left just three riders out front inside the final 10km, and from there the race became far simpler. Blasi had already done the hard part by making the decisive split. Now she only had to choose the right moment to finish it.
Photo Credit: GettyBlasi attacks and rides clear
That moment came with 8.5km to go, near the top of the climb, on one of the steepest sections of the road. Blasi lifted the pace hard enough to force the issue immediately. Muzic and Towers could not follow, and once the gap opened there was no sign she would come back.
It was not a flashy attack full of repeated accelerations. It was more ruthless than that. She simply rode at a level the others could not match, and once she had daylight she kept building on it. The gap quickly stretched to around 30 seconds, giving her enough space to enjoy the final run into Durango and celebrate another statement victory.
For Muzic, second place was still a strong result on this terrain, while Towers secured another notable podium for EF Education-Oatly. But the day belonged entirely to Blasi. She had arrived with the most attention after her La Vuelta Femenina win and handled that weight of expectation with complete authority.
Another major marker in a growing season
This win matters not only because of the race itself, but because of what it says about Blasi’s current level. This was not a rider slipping away under reduced pressure after a Grand Tour. It was a rider returning with all eyes on her and still proving strongest on a course designed to expose weakness. Durango-Durango is not a soft restart. It is a hard, awkward, attritional Basque race, and she won it alone.
That makes this another significant result in what is becoming one of the defining women’s seasons of 2026. Blasi had already won Amstel Gold Race and the overall title at La Vuelta Femenina. Winning Durango-Durango so soon afterwards removes any doubt that her form is still rising rather than fading.
She did not win through surprise, and she did not win through hesitation behind. She won by getting into the decisive move, waiting for the steepest section and then riding away from two high-level rivals as though the effort was obvious. That is the clearest sign yet that this is no longer a hot streak. It is a sustained level.
Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria 2026 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
