Arianna Fidanza ended a long wait for victory in emphatic style at the Pionera Race-SCV, producing the fastest finish from a reduced lead group to take Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi’s ninth win of the young 2026 season.
A long opening climb sets the tone
The race rolled out from El Real de Gandia and immediately leaned into the terrain rather than the tactics. Much of the first half climbed steadily towards the category 2 Alto de Beniarrés, a long, draining ascent that discouraged easy early moves and forced teams to keep a tight hold on positioning. It was the sort of start that quietly thins the field, not with one decisive acceleration, but by turning every kilometre into a small test of patience and legs.
Over the top, the roads did not soften. A succession of uncategorised rises kept the pressure on and made it hard for any group to settle. Riders who drifted even slightly out of place had to fight back on the next slope, and the race took on that familiar nervous rhythm where the bunch stretches, snaps back, and stretches again.
A late solo move, then the squeeze
With the climbing already taking its toll, a late solo attack finally gave the race a clear shape. Alma Walther Møller Rasmussen slipped clear and tried to turn the final section into a chase built on hesitation behind, but the move became the signal for the favourites to tighten the screws.
Laboral Kutxa raised the pace on the climbs and used the terrain to do the chasing for them, gradually reducing the group and erasing the advantage without a full-blooded panic pursuit. The effect was immediate: the elastic finally stayed stretched, and the contenders who mattered for the finish were the ones still in position as the race tipped towards Cocentaina.
A reduced-group finale on tired legs
The finish was always going to reward the rider who still had speed after the climbing, and the slight rise into Cocentaina added one more complication. It was not a drag-strip sprint where pure power wins every time. Instead, it demanded timing, the right wheel, and the ability to hold form when the legs are already full of climbing.
Laboral Kutxa kept their options open deep into the finale, with Fidanza protected and Debora Silvestri also riding strongly as a second threat. As the final kilometres tightened, the group became increasingly nervy, with attacks and accelerations checking any attempt to organise a long, clean lead-out.
That suited Fidanza. When the sprint finally opened, she had the sharpest jump, kicked clear, and held her speed all the way to the line. Laura Asencio chased hard but could not come past, while Oda Ane Gissinger completed the podium as the group splintered behind them and a small gap opened back to the rest.
What it means on the road
For Fidanza, it was a confidence win – her first since 2023 and her first in Laboral Kutxa colours, delivered in exactly the kind of tense, selective finale that punishes hesitation. For the Basque team, it was another example of a simple but effective pattern: use the climbs to thin the race, remove the danger when it appears, then commit fully to a fast finisher when the moment arrives.
Results
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Main photo credit: Sprint Cycling Agency
