MADRID — Dutch veteran Anna van der Breggen pulled on the overall leader’s red jersey after winning stage six of the women’s Vuelta, taking a solo victory atop a steep final climb in driving rain.
The 35-year-old SDX Works rider Van der Breggen dethroned overnight leader Lotte Kopecky of Belgium, who retained the sprint points jersey, AFP reported.
The stage was contested under the rain in the remote and green Asturias region of northwest Spain.
“It was a hard day and a hard climb, but I was confident and the girls looked after me so I’m really happy with the final result,” said van der Breggen.
Spain’s Paula Blasi came second, eight seconds off the pace. Frenchwoman Marion Bunel is third at 29sec and is the top young rider on the race.
Bunel’s Visma teammate, the fancied Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, lost ground crossing the line over two minutes behind.
Van der Breggen pulled ahead of her rivals on the final Les Praeres climb that featured sections with over 20 per cent incline to take control of the race heading in Saturday’s final stage.
