Mischa Bredewold won stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina 2026 in Astorga, giving SD Worx-Protime a second straight one-two after beating team leader Lotte Kopecky in a wet and crash-hit finish. Letizia Paternoster took third after fighting back from an earlier crash, while the final run-in split the bunch and left riders finishing in fragments behind the front group.
The 119km stage from León to Astorga was expected to favour the sprinters, but it never became a calm sprint day. Two category 3 climbs, a late intermediate sprint and damp roads kept the race tense throughout.
The early break finally gets clear
The stage opened fast, with attacks going immediately after the flag dropped. Marine Allione and Justine Gégu were among the first to try, but that move was quickly brought back. Soon after, Spanish champion Sara MartÃn forced a more dangerous split and was joined by Idoia Eraso and Marina Garau.
That trio then became the core of the breakaway. Aniek van Alphen and Alice Coutinho bridged across to make it five, and once the move settled, the peloton finally allowed a proper gap to open. By 90km to go, the break was established and working smoothly.
For Mayenne-Monbana My Pie, Coutinho’s presence gave them another route into the mountains competition. Garau was once again active after her aggressive ride on stage 3, while MartÃn gave Movistar a rider to race from the front.
Photo Credit: Naike ErenozagaSD Worx-Protime control the chase
The peloton never gave the escape too much freedom. SD Worx-Protime quickly took charge on behalf of red jersey holder Kopecky, with Julia Kopecký and Valentina Cavallar doing much of the visible work. Their task was clear: defend the overall lead and keep the stage within reach for a sprint.
The first climb, the Collada de Olleros de Alba, did not create meaningful splits in the bunch. Up front, Coutinho took maximum points, with MartÃn second, Eraso third and Van Alphen fourth. That put the Mayenne rider in a strong position to take over the polka-dot jersey.
The break still held more than two minutes for a while, but the tone changed once SD Worx-Protime raised the pace on the descents and rolling roads. Every time they fully committed to the front, the gap dropped.
The second climb begins to reshape the race
The Alto de la Garandilla was where the break began to weaken. The five leaders were still clear at the bottom, but the bunch was closer and riding harder. On the climb, Garau started to slip backwards and was eventually dropped, while the peloton remained largely intact.
Coutinho again took maximum points at the top, which was enough to secure the mountains jersey for the next day. Behind, SD Worx-Protime continued to squeeze the race, and that pressure meant the break never truly regained control once the descent began.
At around 30km to go, the front group was already under real strain. Coutinho was caught first, leaving MartÃn, Eraso and Van Alphen to continue. The peloton then eased briefly, allowing the gap to stretch again, but that looked like controlled timing rather than hesitation. SD Worx-Protime did not want to bring everything back too early and trigger a fresh round of attacks.
Rain and crashes add more tension
The race became much more nervous before the intermediate sprint. Rain started to fall, the roads became slicker and the bunch moved from organised pursuit into a much more fragile formation. A crash took down riders from both the Liv-AlUla-Jayco and AG Insurance-Soudal trains, costing both teams key support riders for the finish.
Paternoster was among those affected, which looked a huge setback given how well she had been riding in the fast finishes of this race. She did, however, make it back to the bunch with strong help from Josie Talbot, and that recovery turned into one of the day’s most important moments.
The break still reached the intermediate sprint first, with Eraso taking maximum points ahead of Van Alphen and MartÃn. The peloton came through almost immediately afterwards, reducing the gap to barely more than a handful of seconds before easing again.
The bunch makes the catch
Inside the final 10km, the stage moved decisively back towards a sprint. SD Worx-Protime returned to the front and began taking back the last of the break’s advantage. The roads were narrow, the pace was rising and riders were fighting for position much earlier than they usually would on a flatter sprint stage.
MartÃn, Eraso and Van Alphen were finally caught inside the final 10km. From there, the final became a battle for shape and control. Movistar tried to animate the run-in with late attacks, but nothing stuck. The roads were wet, the bunch was stretched and each team was trying to rebuild some kind of lead-out on awkward terrain.
Liv-AlUla-Jayco were especially visible once Paternoster got back on terms. UAE Team ADQ were there too, while Koch and FDJ United-SUEZ stayed close behind the SD Worx-Protime line to protect second place on GC.
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Photo Credit: RCS
Bredewold finishes the job
The final 2km were frantic. The roads were wide in places but slippery, and a late crash split the bunch just before the sprint fully opened. That broke the race apart and left only part of the front group able to contest the stage properly, while the rest rolled in behind in dribs and drabs.
SD Worx-Protime still came through it in the strongest position. Bredewold led Kopecky into the final kilometre, with UAE Team ADQ also trying to organise the front. At first it looked as though Bredewold was launching a lead-out for her team leader, but she never stopped. She kept driving all the way to the line and held on for the win, with Kopecky second and Paternoster taking an impressive third after her earlier crash.
It was another expertly managed finish from SD Worx-Protime. They controlled the chase without doing too much too early, protected the red jersey and then turned the final kilometre into a winning move. Kopecky did not need to come around her team-mate, and Bredewold was rewarded with the stage.
There was, however, one obvious concern for the team. Anna van der Breggen was caught up in the late crash and crossed the line well down the order, leaving SD Worx-Protime waiting to see whether that would affect their plans for the mountain stages to come.
La Vuelta Femenina 2026 Stage 5 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
