Thalita de Jong finished Setmana Ciclista Valenciana eighth overall by sprinting to 17th on the final day in Valencia, Spain.
The 32-year-old and teammate Titia Ryo were part of a peloton whose valiant chase almost made it back to a breakaway five, eventually finishing 16 seconds behind winner Demi Vollering (FDJ United – SUEZ) at the end of the 117 km stage four.
“The last few days have been very good, so the shape is improving,” she said afterwards. “In the upcoming races, we can make some more steps.”
A decisive group of five formed on the descent of the 5.4 km at 4.9% Port de l’Oronet, which at one point had over a minute of an advantage. De Jong joined in with much of the chasing, with the growing peloton then almost making contact on the outskirts of Valencia. The all-rounder then rallied once more to join the bunch kick and take a top ten GC finish.
Eighth overall is an improvement from tenth on GC in 2025, and sets de Jong up for the spring campaign, starting at Omloop Nieuwsblad, a race that finishes in her old hometown of Ninove in Belgium.
“I stay for recovery and training in Spain, and the conditions are better,” she explains. “Then I’ll be back five days before Omloop to get used to it. I’m looking forward to the race; it’s not the biggest goal for me, but it’s nice to be there for the opening weekend. It will be a more hectic race, so I look forward to seeing how we cover it.”
With stage 3 cancelled due to high winds, the team ended the race with two fourth-place stage finishes and eighth on GC, a net-better result than in 2025.
“It was a shame not to do the stage yesterday, but because of safety, I think it’s the best way,” she said. “I did the recon of that stage, and there was also a storm, so I know that it wouldn’t be safe with the whole peloton.”
The winds in Spain were such that de Jong adjusted her race setup, choosing a front Black Inc 28 mm wheel and rear Black Inc SIXTY TWO.
A personal preference, the shallower front wheel improves handling by reducing the impact of crosswinds on steering, while the deeper rear wheel maintains aerodynamic efficiency and speed.
The team is next in action then for the beginning of Classics season, Omloop Nieuwsblad, on February 28.
Setmana Ciclista Valenciana final general classification
1 VOLLERING Demi – FDJ United – SUEZ 8:53:24
2 SQUIBAN Maeva – UAE Team ADQ 1:02
3 OTTESTAD Mie Bjørndal – Uno-X Mobility 1:12
4 NIEDERMAIER Antonia – CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto ”
5 CHLADOŇOVÁ Viktória – Team Visma | Lease a Bike 1:23
6 VALLIERES Magdeleine – EF Education-Oatly 1:27
7 KERBAOL Cédrine – EF Education-Oatly ”
8 DE JONG Thalita – Human Powered Health ”
9 CLAES Lotte – Fenix-Premier Tech ”
10 REIJNHOUT Rosita – Team Visma | Lease a Bike ”
Photos: GettySport
