Human Powered Health Cycling kicks off the Grand Tour season in Spain at the Vuelta a España Femenina from April 28 to May 5.
Comprising eight stages across 867km, the route begins with a team time trial in Valencia before snaking its way through north-central Spain, taking in mountain passes, hilly days, and sprint opportunities before finishing with a fierce climbing day on the outskirts of Madrid.
The team will line up with six riders in Valencia. Second place finisher in Clasica de Almeria Yuliia Biriukova, in-form Henrietta Christie, road captain Romy Kasper, second place in Vuelta CV Feminas Marit Raaijmakers, powerhouse Lily Williams and sprinter-rouleur Silvia Zanardi.
A varied squad with various goals throughout the race, the team will be focussing on stage-to-stage performances above all else.
How to watch
USA
Peacock 4/28 – 5/5 | from 9:30 am EDT / from 8:30 am CDT / from 7:30 am MDT / from 6:30 am PDT
Canada
FloBikes 4/28 – 5/5
UK and Europe
Eurosport/Discovery 4/28 – 5/5 | from 14:30 BST / from 15:30 CET
Kiwi climber in form
New Zealander Henrietta Christie has been a part of the team’s last two Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift squads but will race her first Vuelta a España in 2024.
The 22-year-old is in good form having been Human Powered Health’s top finisher in all three Ardennes Classics. She is a key part of the squad as both a performer and a road captain.
After a tough spring one-day campaign, Christie knows the importance of prioritizing the Pillars of Performance in her training.
“I think the key for me going into the Vuelta is to recover and stay on top of my health,” she explains. “We had some pretty cold and tough days at the Ardennes so keeping up with my Thorne vitamins and probiotics is key. Fueling well has also been super important especially before and after the super rainy La Flèche Wallonne.”
Human Powered Health Cycling last raced the Vuelta in 2022. Like this edition, ‘22 began with the unique challenge of a team time trial.
“It’s pretty cool for the opening stage to be a TTT,” says Christie. “There is something quite special about racing hard with your teammates. We have a lot of track experience in the squad and so we could surprise people.”
As for her own objectives, the Vuelta is a clean slate for the 2023 Tour Down Under white jersey winner.
“For me I am going to enjoy racing and to be excited to try new things,” she says. “I love racing hard with my teammates and so I am excited to see what we are able to pull off without huge GC ambitions.”
Route guide
4/28 Stage 1 | Valencia – Valencia (16km) TTT
Just like our last participation in 2022, we get the Vuelta started with a TTT. A pan-flat 16km circuit favors our experienced TT rider Kasper and the extensive track pursuit knowledge of Raaijmakers, Williams and Zanardi.
4/29 Stage 2 | Buñol – Moncófar (118km) Rolling
Stage two will likely end in a bunch sprint. With just one climb on route, the difficulty of L’Oronet could reduce the size of the bunch somewhat and tee up a late bid for a solo attack in the closing stages.
4/30 Stage 3 | Lucena del Cid – Tereul (131km) Hilly
Although there might not be an obvious trigger point on the profile, stage three rises relentlessly and will be a battle of attrition. Overall there are over 2,000 meters of climbing on the menu, the most of any stage. The Fuente de Rubielos en route was featured in last year’s men’s race and former team athlete Sepp Kuss won here on his way to the overall victory.
5/1 Stage 4 | Molina de Aragón – Zaragoza (142km) Flat
A day circled red for the sprinters, stage four is primed and ready for riders with fast legs. It’s not all plain sailing to the finale, as exposed roads and high winds could trigger splits.
5/2 Stage 5 | Huesca – Jaca (113km) Uphill finish
The first out-and-out mountain stage with a summit finish, stage five traverses a beautiful parcours before finishing up the climb to the finish line in Jaca, a monster at 3.4km with an average gradient of 7.9%.
5/3 Stage 6 | Tarazona – La Laguna Negra. Vineuesa (132km) Summit finish
Stage five will make the selection and stage six will bring the hammer. Another summit finish will surely show us who is ready to take the red jersey to Madrid.
5/4 Stage 7 | San Esteban de Gormaz – Sigüenza (126km) Flat + uphill finish
On paper stage seven looks like a simple flat sprint stage. But in reality, the final kilometer is tricky – short ramps in the final 500 meters kick up to 10% in a narrow town, and should decimate the peloton and bring the tactics and positioning battles of a Classics race to la Vuelta. .
5/5 Stage 8 | Distrito Telefónica. Madrid – Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid (89.5km) Mountains
The Vuelta concludes with an epic climbing stage on the outskirts of Madrid. The shortest but hardest day in the saddle, the first of two climbs is the Puerto de la Morcuera Desnivel, which is 9.1km long with a gradient of 6.8%. The second is 12.8km long with an average gradient of 4.8% taking the riders to the final finish line.
Roster
Yuliia Biriukova
Henrietta Christie
Romy Kasper
Marit Raaijmakers
Lily Williams
Silvia Zanardi
Follow comprehensive coverage of Human Powered Health’s fortunes throughout the week via the team’s Instagram, Facebook and X accounts.
