Nienke Veenhoven won the opening stage of the 2026 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina in Santa Susanna, sprinting to victory ahead of teammate Marianne Vos after Team Visma | Lease a Bike turned a controlled finale into a dominant one-two. Vos finished second on her return to racing after several weeks out, while Valentine Fortin took third for Cofidis after a disrupted run-in left only a reduced group contesting the final sprint.
The stage had looked set for a bunch finish once the day’s late solo move was caught inside the final 5 kilometres, but the approach to the line was anything but straightforward. A crash in the finale split the bunch and left only a small front group in contention, giving Team Visma | Lease a Bike the numbers and positioning to finish the job.
Veenhoven powered clear in the final metres, with Vos close behind after the team had already placed itself perfectly for the sprint. The gap between the two yellow-and-black jerseys and the rest underlined how much control Team Visma | Lease a Bike had once the race reached Santa Susanna, even if the final kilometre itself had carried the usual tension of a sprint stage.
A short stage with a testing middle section
The opening stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina covered 92.1 kilometres, starting and finishing in Santa Susanna. On paper, it was short enough to keep the sprint teams interested, but the middle section added enough difficulty to make the race more complicated than a straightforward coastal run.
After a flatter opening phase along the coast, the riders headed into the more selective part of the route. The Coll del Pollastre was the first named climb of the day, measuring 2.4 kilometres at 2.8 per cent. It was not steep enough to decide the race on its own, but it marked the start of a more testing passage through the middle of the stage.
The Alt de Collsacreu came later and carried more potential to split the peloton. With the route then dropping back towards Sant Celoni and Tordera before the fast return to Santa Susanna, the stage always gave two different types of rider a chance. Attackers had terrain to use after the climbs, while the stronger sprint teams still had enough road to bring things back together.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike started with two major cards. Veenhoven offered the faster finishing option, while Vos was making her comeback after breaking her collarbone on the opening stage of La Vuelta Femenina and undergoing surgery shortly afterwards. After a training camp in Mallorca, this was her return to the peloton.
Peloton keeps control early
The early part of the stage was controlled. After 20 kilometres, the bunch remained compact, with the peloton keeping a tight leash on any attacks. That suited Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who did not need to commit too much energy before the first climb.
As the race approached the Coll del Pollastre, the bunch was still together. The climb was expected to test the sprinters slightly, but not necessarily remove them from contention. Three riders then opened a small gap after the first climb, creating the first more meaningful move of the day.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not panic. The team avoided wasting too much energy at that point, allowing the race to develop while staying close enough to react if the move became dangerous.
Once the main climbs were completed, the race began to tilt back towards the sprinters. The Alt de Collsacreu had created pressure, and Veenhoven was briefly distanced from the peloton, but she had enough time and road to return before the final phase.
Molenaar goes solo
Laura Molenaar then became the lone leader of the race, building a gap of around 2 minutes over a peloton that was briefly taking things calmly. With 32 kilometres remaining, she was out front alone, trying to turn the hesitation behind into a stage-winning opportunity.
The situation became more serious as the kilometres ticked down. With 20 kilometres to go, Molenaar still had a useful advantage, and by the time the race entered the final 10 kilometres, she remained around 1 minute clear.
That forced the peloton to sharpen its chase. Team Visma | Lease a Bike began setting the pace, using its strength to reduce the gap and bring the sprint finish back into play. The team had Veenhoven and Vos as two clear options if the race came back together, and the chase was organised enough to close Molenaar down before the finish.
Inside the final 5 kilometres, the solo leader was caught. At that point, all signs pointed towards the bunch sprint that had looked likely before the stage, but the final approach still had one more twist.
Crash splits the sprint group
A crash in the finale disrupted the peloton and reduced the number of riders in the front group. The incident came late enough to shape the sprint, with only a small group clear of the crash while the rest of the bunch was held up behind.
The exact cause was not immediately clear, but it changed the dynamic of the finish. Instead of a full peloton arriving together, the sprint became a much smaller and more chaotic contest. That suited Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who already had both Veenhoven and Vos in the right position.
The final was not a clean lead-out train against several rival sprint teams. It became a scramble between the riders who had avoided the trouble and still had the legs to launch on the drag to the line.
Vos looked well placed and strong in her first race back, but Veenhoven had the momentum in the decisive moment. The younger Dutch rider opened the sprint and carried her speed all the way to the line.
Veenhoven takes third professional win
Veenhoven crossed the line first, taking the opening stage and the first leader’s jersey of the 2026 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina. It was the 22-year-old’s third professional victory and another sign of her growing value as a sprint option for Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
Vos completed the one-two, a strong result in itself given the context of her comeback. After breaking her collarbone at La Vuelta Femenina and spending several weeks away from racing, finishing second on her first day back confirmed that she has returned with useful condition and race sharpness.
Fortin took third for Cofidis, but the gap to the Team Visma | Lease a Bike pair was significant. The finale had been disrupted, but once the race opened up after the crash, Veenhoven and Vos had the clearest path and the strongest finish.
For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, it was close to a perfect opening day. Veenhoven won, Vos returned with a podium, and the team took early control of the race without having to control the entire stage from start to finish.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike make the most of their numbers
The stage had threatened to become more complicated than a sprint finish. The mid-stage climbs could have encouraged stronger attackers, Molenaar’s solo move forced a real chase, and the late crash turned the finale into a reduced sprint rather than a normal bunch gallop.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike handled each phase well. They stayed calm when the first attacks went clear, gave Veenhoven time to return after the climbs, then worked to bring Molenaar back once the race reached the final 10 kilometres.
The presence of Vos also changed the shape of the finish. Even without a long, controlled lead-out, having two riders in the front group gave the team tactical security. If Vos was the obvious name on paper, Veenhoven was the rider who had the final acceleration.
It was a stage that looked likely to suit the faster finishers, but it still required positioning, timing and resilience. Veenhoven delivered all three, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike leave Santa Susanna with the stage win, the leader’s jersey and an early statement in Catalonia.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina 2026 stage 1 result
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