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Human Powered Health Cycling line up in Spain for another stage race on the Women’s WorldTour, Vuelta a Burgos from May 16 through 19. 

A four-day race in the Castile-León region, Burgos will be as open as ever with the potential for sprints and breakaways, a hilltop finish, and a climbing finale. There is no mountain summit finish but the long exposed roads of the region may have more of an impact due to the threat of crosswinds and echelons. 

The team will line up with six riders in Burgos. Second place finisher in Clasica de Almeria Yuliia Biriukova, in-form Henrietta Christie, climber Krista Doebel-Hickok, second place in Vuelta CV Feminas Marit Raaijmakers, sprinter-rouleur Silvia Zanardi and powerhouse Linda Zanetti make sure there are options on every stage.

The fifth Women’s WorldTour stage race of the season, Vuelta a Burgos acts as another primer before the Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. 

Fourth on the general classification in 2022, Kirsta Doebel-Hickok knows a thing or two about racing in this region. 

“The courses are dynamic and without clear summit finishes to define the GC,” she explains. “They yield them to aggressive and opportunistic racing.”

With climbers, strong finishers, and breakaway artists, the eclectic parcours could suit a well-rounded squad like Human Powered Health’s.

“I expect us to do just that and race for those opportunities,” Doebel-Hickok says. “We’ll put it all out there, support each other, and see what comes.”

How to watch 

USA and Canada
FloBikes 5/16 – 5/19 | from 7:30 am EDT / from 6:30 am CDT / from 5:30 am MDT / from 4:30 am PDT

UK and Europe
Eurosport/Discovery 5/16 – 5/19 | from 13:30 BST / from 14:30 CET

Route guide

5/16 Stage 1 | Villagonzalo Pedernales – Burgos (123km) Rolling
Rolling terrain with a flat finish greets the peloton on stage 1 but there’s no guarantee that the opening day will end in a sprint as opportunists could strike out for home early. The profile is reminiscent of stage 2 in 2022 where the breakaway held off the peloton and then team rider Nina Buijsman finished second. 

5/17 Stage 2 | Briviesca – Medina de Pomar (123km) Uphill finish
There are no mountain top finishers in this year’s Vuelta a Burgos so the only opportunity for a punchy climbing finish is at the stage 2 finale atop Alto de Rosales. 2.4km at 6.5%, the climb will likely shed the sprinters and make an initial selection but it’s unlikely to be race-defining.

5/18 Stage 3 | Roa de Duero – Melgar de Fernamental (122km) Flat
On the red ribbon sprint day, the peloton will contend with high winds in the area. Good positioning in the echelons is crucial and could make or break the ambitions of a rider for both the stage win and the overall.

5/19 Stage 4 | Villagonzalo Pedernales – Burgos (123km) Hilly

It’s a hilly finale to Vuelta a Burgos but no mountain top finish. The steep climb of Alto de Rozavientos, 3.5 km at 9.3% average gradient, tops out 16 kilometers from the line before a 9-kilometer descent and a rolling 7 kilometers back into Burgos where the champion will be crowned.

Roster
Yuliia Biriukova
Henrietta Christie
Krista Doebel-Hickok
Marit Raaijmakers
Silvia Zanardi
Linda Zanetti

Follow comprehensive coverage of Human Powered Health’s fortunes throughout the week via the team’s Instagram, Facebook and X accounts.