The 2023 Women's Tour will end in the Lakes of Covadonga

MADRID, 28 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The first edition of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, which will take place between the 1st and 7th of next May, has presented this Tuesday its route from its initial stage in Torrevieja to its end in the Lakes of Covadonga, in the gala held at the International Music Conservatory Auditorium in the city of Alicante.

"It is important for the media impact of the race to finish on such a famous peak, it gives more impact to the competition. I am glad that La Vuelta chooses such a well-known climb. I am excited, I know what awaits us, it is a very tough climb A very complete Vuelta" indicated Annemiek van Vleuten, winner of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta in 2022.

During its seven stages, the race will visit eight provinces from six different autonomous communities. In sports, the cyclists will face a team time trial, three flat stages, a medium mountain stage and two mountain stages, both with a climb finish.

The Spanish round will start in Torrevieja, as the men's event did in 2019. The municipality of the Costa Blanca will host a team time trial with an urban layout in the first stage. The second day will also be held in Alicante, between the towns of Orihuela and Pilar de la Horadada.

"The Costa Blanca once again demonstrates its commitment to cycling and La Vuelta by celebrating the official start of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es. The Costa Blanca has become a very attractive destination for lovers of our sport and is the ideal setting for the coming-out of the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina", said Fernando Escartín, director of the race.

Once that part of the Spanish geography is left behind, the squad will enter the province of Albacete. Elche de la Sierra will be the starting point of the longest stage of the race, covering 148 kilometers on the way to La Roda. "I think it's a varied course, with options for many different riders. The fight for the overall will be between the climbers, but the team time trial and the flat stages give other cyclists opportunities," said Mavi García, Spanish road champion and time trial.

From there, the peloton will continue on its way north uniting two provincial capitals, Cuenca and Guadalajara, on a new day conducive to sprinters in the Caracense municipality. The first high end of the test will come in the 5th stage with the five kilometers of ascent to the unprecedented Mirador de Riaza, in the 2nd category. The cyclists will have to face the ascent to Navafría before leaving the Madrid municipality of La Cabrera.

The north will be the protagonist during the stages of the weekend. On Saturday, Cantabria will host the sixth stage, between Castro-Urdiales and Laredo. The ascents to Fuente de las Baras and Campo el Hayal, both in the 2nd category and which were present in the 8th edition of the Challenge by La Vuelta, will mark a day played entirely in Cantabrian territory.

The end of the party will arrive in Asturias. The stage will begin in Pola de Siero and will head towards the eastern part of the Principality looking for the final ascent to the Covadonga Lakes. It is one of the most mythical peaks of La Vuelta and will be the highlight of the first edition of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, just a few days after its 40th anniversary since its first appearance in the Spanish round, on May 2, 1983.