Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto heads into La Vuelta Femenina with a clear shift in structure. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, the reigning Tour de France Femmes winner, will take on a support role in Spain, with Neve Bradbury stepping into leadership for the first Grand Tour of the 2025 season. It’s a pragmatic switch for a team looking to reset after a demanding spring and build toward the summer stage races.
Joining Bradbury and Niewiadoma-Phinney in Barcelona are Justyna Czapla, Chloé Dygert, Nastya Kolesava, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka and Maike van der Duin. The line-up offers a blend of climbing ability, raw time trial power and attacking options that should serve them well across a varied seven-day route.
For Niewiadoma-Phinney, this marks a step back from the personal ambitions that usually define her Grand Tour starts. “I’m coming to La Vuelta in a supportive role, hoping to share my experience and approach with the riders in the GC fight,” she said. “After spring, I wouldn’t say I feel huge disappointment, but there’s a sense of lack of satisfaction – like I’m chasing that feeling of reward or knowing things went well. I really hope we can achieve that during La Vuelta.”
The Polish rider posted consistent top-10s through the Ardennes without breaking through for a win and now turns her focus to guiding a younger rider aiming for just that. Bradbury enters La Vuelta as a genuine GC prospect, after a 2024 season that saw her podium at the Giro d’Italia Women, UAE Tour, Tour de Suisse and Tour Down Under. Her build-up has prioritised stage racing over one-day efforts, and the terrain in Spain plays to her strengths.
The route opens with an 8.1km team time trial in Barcelona. While it’s not expected to create major gaps, Canyon-SRAM should be among the quickest, with Olympic team pursuit champion Dygert providing key firepower. “I wish it was a bit longer, but yeah – it’s going to be spicy, it’s going to burn, and it’s going to hurt… especially with Chloé on the front,” Niewiadoma-Phinney joked.
The week then builds steadily. Stage two provides a launchpad for the breakaway specialists, while stage three could be shaped by crosswinds. Stage four adds climbing into the mix before the GC battle begins in earnest on stage five at Lagunas de Neila. The final showdown on stage seven includes over 2,500 metres of climbing and finishes atop the Alto de Cotobello. Bradbury will aim to stay in contention through the early stages and make her move on the decisive climbs.
Around her, there’s plenty of tactical depth. Skalniak-Sójka offers an attacking outlet on transitional stages. Van der Duin can feature in reduced sprints or late breaks. Czapla and Kolesava bring versatility and will be key in protecting the leaders on flatter days.
“We have a great team, super diverse, not just climbers,” said Niewiadoma-Phinney. “I think we’ll be able to play interesting roles, improve day by day, and take lessons from each stage. Ultimately, I want us to have a great week of racing in Spain. I don’t want to experience another wasted opportunity or wasted day. We’re going there with the mindset to seize it all.”
With GC ambitions pinned on Bradbury and a strong collective around her, Canyon-SRAM arrives in Spain with focus and clarity. La Vuelta offers a chance to reset, rebuild and, perhaps, deliver the breakthrough result that slipped just out of reach during the spring.
