Description
March 6, 2026
Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina 2026 🇪🇸 (2.1) WE – Stage 1 ITT – Herrera del Duque – Herrera del Duque : 18,4 km
The Vuelta a Extremadura is a significant multi-day cycling event in Spain that highlights the rugged beauty and challenging terrain of the Extremadura region.
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March 6, 2026
Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina 2026 🇪🇸 (2.1) WE – Stage 1 ITT – Herrera del Duque – Herrera del Duque : 18,4 km
The Vuelta a Extremadura is a significant multi-day cycling event in Spain that highlights the rugged beauty and challenging terrain of the Extremadura region. While it has a long history as an amateur and elite men’s race, the event has seen a major resurgence in recent years, particularly through the establishment of a high-level international women’s stage race. The women’s edition, classified as a UCI 2.1 event, has become a key fixture in the early spring calendar. The race is typically structured over three distinct stages designed to test a variety of cycling disciplines. It often opens with a technical individual time trial that establishes the initial gaps in the general classification. This is followed by a stage favorable for sprinters or powerful classics riders, before concluding with a “queen stage” in the mountains. This final day usually features steep ascents in the northern part of the region, such as the climbs in the Jerte Valley, where the overall victory is ultimately decided.
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) has powered to a knockout victory in the opening individual time trial of the Vuelta a Extremadura, her first win of the 2026 season.
Fully living up to her current position of defending British National Time Trial Champion, the 21-year-old clinched the victory on the rain-soaked 18-kilometre stage with a notable 12-second advantage over her closest rival, former Australian National TT Champion Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) and of 17 seconds over Chapman’s trade teammate Maëva Squiban.
First-year pro Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) also impressed with fourth, 20 seconds back after a long spell in the hot seat as provisional stage leader.
As the rain teemed down on the short, punchy and largely out-and-back course starting and finishing in Herrera del Duque, young Australian racer Coupland set the best time early on. Even if the specialists and top names were still to come, the 20-year-old notably fended off double French National Time Trial Champion Marion Borras (Cofidis) by eight seconds, with the rest of the field more than 40 seconds distant for some time.
After Ema Comte (Cofidis) moved into the provisional podium with a 31-second deficit, Fee Knaven (UAE Team ADQ) then came even closer by finishing 24 seconds back on Coupland. Finally, though, the reigning Australian National Road Champion was edged out by double 2025 Tour de France Femmes mountain stage winner Squiban by just three seconds.
However, both those times were pushed well out of contention by Chapman, five seconds faster than Squiban and Bäckstedt. One of the very last starters, the young Briton completed the course a notable 12 seconds quicker than the Australian veteran, simultaneously claiming both her eighth career win, her first of 2026, and the race’s first overall leader’s jersey in the process.
Results :
 WE - Stage 1 ITT </strong> - Herrera del Duque - Herrera del Duque : 18,4 km
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The Vuelta a Extremadura is a significant multi-day cycling event in Spain that highlights the rugged beauty and challenging terrain of the Extremadura region. While it has a long history as an amateur and elite men’s race, the event has seen a major resurgence in recent years, particularly through the establishment of a high-level international women's stage race. The women's edition, classified as a UCI 2.1 event, has become a key fixture in the early spring calendar. The race is typically structured over three distinct stages designed to test a variety of cycling disciplines. It often opens with a technical individual time trial that establishes the initial gaps in the general classification. This is followed by a stage favorable for sprinters or powerful classics riders, before concluding with a "queen stage" in the mountains. This final day usually features steep ascents in the northern part of the region, such as the climbs in the Jerte Valley, where the overall victory is ultimately decided.
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) has powered to a knockout victory in the opening individual time trial of the Vuelta a Extremadura, her first win of the 2026 season.
Fully living up to her current position of defending British National Time Trial Champion, the 21-year-old clinched the victory on the rain-soaked 18-kilometre stage with a notable 12-second advantage over her closest rival, former Australian National TT Champion Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) and of 17 seconds over Chapman's trade teammate Maëva Squiban.
First-year pro Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) also impressed with fourth, 20 seconds back after a long spell in the hot seat as provisional stage leader.
As the rain teemed down on the short, punchy and largely out-and-back course starting and finishing in Herrera del Duque, young Australian racer Coupland set the best time early on. Even if the specialists and top names were still to come, the 20-year-old notably fended off double French National Time Trial Champion Marion Borras (Cofidis) by eight seconds, with the rest of the field more than 40 seconds distant for some time.
After Ema Comte (Cofidis) moved into the provisional podium with a 31-second deficit, Fee Knaven (UAE Team ADQ) then came even closer by finishing 24 seconds back on Coupland. Finally, though, the reigning Australian National Road Champion was edged out by double 2025 Tour de France Femmes mountain stage winner Squiban by just three seconds.
However, both those times were pushed well out of contention by Chapman, five seconds faster than Squiban and Bäckstedt. One of the very last starters, the young Briton completed the course a notable 12 seconds quicker than the Australian veteran, simultaneously claiming both her eighth career win, her first of 2026, and the race's first overall leader's jersey in the process.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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