Analysis written by Diego Martín (@martinthecaleb)

ROUTE ANALYSIS OF THE SETMANA CICLISTA 2026 - VOLTA FEMENINA DE LA CV

STAGE 1 - Thursday 12 February - Gandia - Gandia: 121 km

• Schedule: 14:00 p.m. - 17:15 p.m.

The Setmana Ciclista 2026 - Volta Femenina de la CV begins by recalling its key stage from last year. It is not the same stage as in 2025, but the route is very similar. There are many points in common, although there are small variations in the course and distance (9 km more). The common denominator is the presence of categorized climbs.

They are not big climbs, but the proximity of the finish to the final sequence of climbs and the ambition of the riders can be decisive. Over 32 km they face the Barxeta climb of 2 km at an average gradient of 5.1% – although the preceding terrain is also uphill – and the Barx climb of 6 km at an average gradient of 5.6%.

The Barx climb is crested 17 km from the finish. Once again it looks set to be the judge of the stage and perhaps key for the final GC. It is not an excessively hard ascent; it has maximum gradients of 8.2% and some easier sections, but we already saw in 2025 that it can be enough, if there is the will and the strength, to split the race apart.

STAGE 2 - Friday 13 February - Vila-real - Vila-real: 115.5 km

• Schedule: 13:30 p.m. - 16:30 p.m. (local time - 3 hours less than CET).

The second stage of the Setmana Ciclista 2026 - Volta Femenina de la CV is practically the same as in the 2023 edition. Vila-real also hosts the start of the stage instead of Borriana.

It is a stage that the sprinters will very likely have marked in red in the road book. Along with the final day it has the least accumulated elevation gain, and it is also all concentrated before the halfway point of the stage. Marianet, Eslida and Ahín are climbs with average gradients of 3.8%, 4.6% and 4.2% without double-digit ramps.

The finish is on a straight that slopes slightly downhill. The last turn, a 90º roundabout at 1.3 km to go, can be crucial for positioning and for the final lead-out of the sprinters.

STAGE 3 - Saturday 14 February - Agost - La Nucia: 128 km

• Schedule: 12:00 p.m. - 15:15 p.m.

We arrive at the queen stage. The third stage of the Setmana Ciclista 2026 - Volta Femenina de la CV is very similar to the 2023 edition. On that occasion the peloton, or what was left of it, had to continue descending to Altea. This time it finishes in La Nucia.

The three key climbs of the day remain. The Alto del Tibi of 5 km is at the beginning of the stage. Its average gradient of 5.4% over its 5 km does not seem excessive. But it has a slight descent and maximum ramps of 12%. It can be an early point at which to split the race, either to go on the attack or in pursuit of the break.

The Alto de Tudons is the main climb of the race. At 17.6 km with an average gradient of 4.7% it already requires a notable effort. It does not have extreme gradients; its maximum ramps are around 9%. It has several easier sections, although its last 7.6 km are very steady with hardly any respite. Terrain for grand-tour-style riders with a big engine.

Finally, the Alto de Confrides of 5.5 km at an average gradient of 4.6% does not seem enough, by itself, to break the race. But we expect that at this point the race will already be either a guerrilla war or a fight between a few leaders and some of their domestiques. From the summit, 33 km from the finish, the terrain is slightly downhill, although with some short rises or uncategorized climbs in between.

A day either to finish defining the GC or to prevent that from happening. A day for leaders and for puncheurs and breakaway specialists.

STAGE 4 - Sunday 15 February - Sagunt - Valencia: 117 km

• Schedule: 11:00 a.m. - 14:05 p.m.

The final stage of the Setmana Ciclista 2026 - Volta Femenina de la CV could give us a stage for sprinters, for puncheurs or for a breakaway. It is the stage with the least accumulated elevation gain. However, the L'Oronet climb, which is crested 30 km from the finish, can be decisive for the outcome of the day.

L'Oronet is a 5.7 km climb at an average gradient of 4.5%, although with ramps of 10%. It is unlikely to be decisive for the GC, but it is expected to be crucial in the fight for the stage. It is a day with possibilities for puncheurs, breakaway specialists and sprinters. If there is a very large peloton, the run-in to the finish can have several key moments. With 1.5 km to go, the group will have to take an exit to the right and then turn left to head towards the flamme rouge. With 500 metres to go the group will have to take a final 90º left-hand roundabout before heading onto the finishing straight.

THE WEATHER

In Spain it has been a winter of multiple instabilities, cut-off lows and storms. In principle, the models show forecasts with a low probability of rain. However, the wind may be a decisive factor on some days, such as Saturday, with gusts that may reach up to 70 km/h during race hours. I hope it will not force a route change, although we already know that is a possibility. And therefore, everything that can be gained in the first stage must not be wasted. We will have to keep a close eye on last-minute forecasts. Temperatures will be mild (15–20 degrees), ideal for racing.

RIDERS IN THE SETMANA CICLISTA 2026 - VOLTA FEMENINA DE LA CV

FAVORITES FOR THE SETMANA CICLISTA 2026 - VOLTA FEMENINA DE LA CV

Preamble

The Setmana Ciclista 2026 - Volta Femenina de la CV repeats the setting where Demi Vollering laid down a marker. Did she need to? Perhaps yes. Perhaps she wanted to confirm the bigger financial effort made by her sponsors and those of her team compared with what her previous team offered, in front of her former teammates and now biggest rivals, Marlen Reusser and Anna van der Breggen.

What is certain is that, with what we saw in last year’s edition and with the weather forecast, this stage could be the decisive one for the GC. A GC where stage racers and climbers should prevail. It is not a race for the big sprinters, although a few are attending, and it is a race for breakaway specialists and puncheurs. There is terrain for attacks and counterattacks in the finales.

The big favorite

Obviously the Dutch rider Demi Vollering (FDJ United - Suez) is the big favorite to repeat her victory. We already know what she is capable of on both short and long climbs and the strength of her team. FDJ United comes to Valencia with a strong squad to support Vollering.

And within that team some riders such as the Swiss Elisa Chabbey or the Dutch Amber Kraak could have the chance to move and seek an individual success. It will also be interesting to see how Lauren Dickson performs working for Vollering. In Australia she left a good impression in her first block of races with the team.

Other favorites

The German Liane Lippert (Movistar) is neither a pure climber nor the stage racer some expected to succeed van Vleuten. But she is a classics specialist and puncheur who climbs well and can manage her efforts on climbs that are not too long. The question mark may be how the ascent to Tudons is tackled. A race like this, without summit finishes, is one of those that suits Lippert best and, as she has already made clear, she has the shotgun loaded.

The Frenchwoman Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) does not fit the profile of a pure climber either. Even so, her improvement over the last two years has been notable, placing her among the best on the climbs. But she also has considerable skill on the bike. She has already shown us on some occasions that when the road goes downhill or when the weather is bad she has just that extra bit of skill and boldness compared with the rest. And in a race like the Setmana, where the finish is not on a climb, this can be a determining factor.

Although she may be lacking a bit of consistency, the Dutch rider Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech) is another contender to bear in mind. We do not know how she arrives in Valencia, but that may not matter. If she has the legs of her good days, she is a favorite to be considered.

The Pole Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) will make her debut in Valencia. After the consolidation she showed last year in stage races of less than a week and in some classics, she has probably set herself the goal of attacking the podiums. She is a rider who also has a very good final rush. Canyon also has another important card to play in this race: the German Antonia Niedermaier. Although she does not have the speed of Skalniak-Sójka, she can be one of the protagonists of the Setmana.

And finally, in this section we highlight two riders who carry the weight of a label and who have shown great form in a key year in their development. The Briton Anna Henderson (Lidl - Trek) is always highlighted for her time trial abilities, but she has shown that she performs well in classics, on short climbs and on ascents that are not excessively long or steep. Perhaps the best signing for Lidl-Trek this year may be the rider they already have at home in the development of this cyclist.

Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) will carry the Tour label after her two sensational victories in 2025. But like Henderson, she seems to be a rider in progression and in Mallorca she showed signs of having done her winter homework.

Other contenders and possible surprises

As always, there are good years and others not so good. And there are several riders for whom, in 2025 – and in some cases also in 2024 – things did not go exactly to plan. However, a long winter without incidents or illness may have started to lay the foundations for a return to good form.

This is the case for riders such as the Dane Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), the Dutch Riejanne Markus and the Italian Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek), the Dutch Pauliena Rooijakkers (UAE Team ADQ), the Norwegian Ingvild Gåskjenn (Uno-X Mobility), the Spaniard Iurani Blanco (Human Powered Health) or – even – the South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio.

But the list is not only made up of attempted comebacks. There are also numerous contenders we want to highlight for their qualities as climbers or puncheurs. We are talking about the Frenchwoman Marion Bunel (Visma | Lease a Bike), the Slovenian Urška Žigart (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), the Slovak Viktória Chladoňová (Visma | Lease a Bike), the Spaniard Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi), the Norwegians Kathrine Aalerud and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility), the world champion Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly), the Swede Caroline Andersson (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Possible outsiders to spring a surprise

The peloton is already starting to be bigger at the Setmana Ciclista 2026, but there is always room to highlight some more surprising cards or riders to follow from slightly more modest teams. Riders such as the Frenchwoman Laura Asencio (Ma Petite Entreprise), the Dutch Anne Knijnenburg (VolkerWessel), the Italian Sofia Arici (Vini Fantini - BePink), the Frenchwoman Julie Bego (Cofidis Women Team), the Norwegian Tiril Jørgensen (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi) or the German Linda Riedmann (Lotto Intermarché).