Women's Clasica de Almeria History
The second edition of the Clasica de Almeria comes around this weekend. The thrilling inaugural race set the stage for what promises to be another exhilarating showdown. In 2023, the race witnessed the birth of a new contender as Cynisca Cycling’s Emilie Fortin stormed to victory, etching her name into the race’s young history as the inaugural champion.
The 2023 edition unfolded amidst challenging conditions, with headwinds slowing the peloton’s progress and setting the stage for a tactical battle in the latter stages of the race. While early attacks failed to stick, Fortin’s decisive move saw her break clear from the chasing pack, ultimately clinching victory in a hard-fought finale. Her stellar performance was complemented by a strong showing from fellow Canadian Alison Jackson (who went on to win Paris Roubaix Femmes), who secured second place, while Floortje Mackaij rounded out the podium.
As we turn our attention to the eagerly anticipated 2024 edition, all eyes are on the race’s dynamic route and challenging features that promise to test the riders’ skills to the limit. The race will cover a demanding 102-kilometre course, featuring a mix of flat coastal stretches and gruelling mountain passes. With three intermediate sprints and a series of punishing climbs, including the formidable Alto del Aljibe de la Cruz, the stage is set for a fiercely contested battle for the win again this year.
Previous Winners
2023
Emilie Fortin
2022
Not held
2021
Not held
Women's Clasica de Almeria 2024 Profile
TV Coverage
Sunday 25th February 2024
No live coverage – highlights on Canal Sur
Twitter: #ClasicaAlmeriaFem
Startlist: FirstCycling
Women's Clasica de Almeria 2024 Contenders
Last year’s winner Emilie Fortin is the only rider from last year’s top-10 to return in 2024. Despite getting the win last year she only had 8th in GP Eibar as her only other European top-10 result in 2023. The win in last year’s Clasica de Almeria was very much being the right rider on the right day as her well-timed attack saw the chasers unable to get back on terms. It feels a bit of a long shot for a repeat, especially as her only result in 2024 is a DNF at the Vuelta CV Feminas. Teammate Lauren Stephens might be the rider to watch on Cynisca though after finishing 13th at Vuelta CV Feminas. She does have a kick for the finish but the smaller the front group the better for her.
Ceratizit WNT has one of the strongest line-ups here with Arianna Fidanza and Marta Lach both already securing strong finishes in 2024. Fidanza was 5th at Vuelta CV Feminas and 7th in the sister race here of Women Cycling Pro Costa De Almeria. The Italian can certainly climb as well as others on this startlist and will be a contender. It’s a very similar story for the Pole Marta Lach who climbed well on her way to 4th at Trofeo Palma Femina before finishing 5th on the opening day of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. Waiting in the wings is the home Spanish rider of Sandra Alonso. She’s a little bit weaker on the climbs than her teammates but needs a good result. Her best so far in 2024 is 11th on the last day of Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. A piece this week suggested she needed to believe in herself more and that the results will follow once that happens.
In the hunt for the win here will certainly be Human Powered Health. Marit Raaijmakers took the team’s best result of the year so far with 2nd at the Vuelta CV Feminas. The Dutch rider sprinted well after a tough race with plenty of climbing mid-way through the day. That bodes well looking at the parcours here. They’re not short on options either on what should be very much a happy points hunting day. Linda Zanetti was 9th at the Women Pro Cycling Costa de Almeria this year and proved to be a bit of a monster in the smaller one-day races last season. She may get the nod if Raaijmakers is dropped on the climbs. You also can’t ignore the likes of Silvia Zanardi or Yulia Biriukova either. Neither has a top-10 result this year but Zanardi has a fast finish and does hills absolutely fine and Yulia Biriukova is a very good all-rounder too. You could see 3 or 4 Human Powered Health riders finishing in the top 15 at this year’s Clasica de Almeria.
Laboral Kutxa will be hoping for a decent haul of points as they keen an eye on what they need to achieve to reach the Women’s WorldTour at the end of next season. It feels like Laura Tomasi will be their best chance with Cristina Tonetti also in tow too. Tomasi already has a good result of 8th at Trofeo Felanitx-Colònia de Sant Jordi before claiming a WWT top-10 on the final stage of the UAE Tour Women. Provided the race can get down to a reduced peloton at the end, Tomasi will be in the hunt for the win here. Tonetti is less of a sprinter but does have a strong one-day race palmares already at a young age. She was 16th at Trofeo Felanitx-Colònia de Sant Jordi but cut her teeth last season with top-10s in Germany, France Italy and more. It should pan out as a very solid Plan and Plan B option.
Adèle Normand is worth keeping an eye on for Eneicat. The Canadian who raced for Massi-Tactic last season took an impressive 6th place at Women Cycling Pro Costa De Almeria a few weeks ago. The uphill finish there definitely suited her over a flat finish like we’ll see here but it was a sign that she has plenty of good climbing legs at the moment.
Top 3 Prediction
- Arianna Fidanza
- Linda Zanetti
- Marta Lach
