Racing
Wrapping up the 2026 Vuelta Femenina
Squad takes two stage wins at the first grand tour of the season
May 9, 2026
Throughout the seven stages of this year’s Vuelta Femenina, our squad experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, all the while displaying an unparalleled level of grit and teamwork.
Noemi Rüegg dominated to take the opening stage of the Spanish grand tour. The squad went all-in to support our Swiss rider and she repaid their commitment and hard work by taking the race leader’s red jersey. The next day saw heartbreak when Noemi crashed, abandoning the race with a fractured shoulder.
But this squad must never be counted out. They rallied on stage three and, after a trio of aggressive attacks in the finale, Cédrine went clear and won the stage.
We are proud of each of our riders for their belief in themselves and in one another, their ability to commit to a plan while also being flexible, and for racing every kilometer with a fighting spirit.
Read on to find out what this experience has meant to our squad.
Alexis Magner
A highlight would definitely have to be stage one and stage three. Definitely not stage two. [Those wins] were really cool for our team and really cool to be a part of and contribute to. Those were really big moments for Noemi and Cédrine, and to be a part of that story is really special.
Alice Towers
The meal after stage 4. The chicken wedges and the burgers. We had quite a late arrival to the hotel, a long travel and it was great for the morale. It was so good. And Kristen said it was the best chicken burger she’s ever had in her life!
Just the first couple stages were for me the most enjoyable ones. Obviously the second one has a massive taint on it but the way we came back and the third stage was really, really fun. I’ll definitely remember the final that we really finessed.
Babette van der Wolf
Honestly it was a bit of a weird week. It felt like more than a week with how many things have happened. First Noemi’s red jersey; so crazy, so proud to have helped out. Then she crashed and Cédrine won - so crazy again. One thing I learned is that we should never, ever give up on our dreams, on our team. The goals we wanted to reach, it’s pretty crazy how we’ve managed to still perform at that level.
Cédrine Kerbaol
My team is incredible. It’s not a memory, it’s actual. My team is incredible. Period. The way they know we are a group, we are a unit. We all know that with each other, it is easier and I feel like everyone just wants to push even more because we are a unit.
Henrietta Christie
Personally, I’ve just enjoyed being back with the team. It’s been a few months and so being back, having fun on and off the bike. It’s a good group of girls and the whole team is a great team. It’s been nice. I just enjoy being back here.
On the bike, we’ve been riding super well together all week. We’re hitting all our marks where we said we wanted to be. We make Plan B, like what if this goes wrong or we’re not there, but we’re always there so that’s been really cool. Just working together and racing well and kind of reading each other’s minds rather than saying something. It’s pretty cool.
The vibe of the team. It’s good. It’s fun, it’s great fun. We’ve had really bad lows and we’ve had really big highs, and the next day we’re always smiling and laughing.
Kristen Faulkner
I really enjoyed when everyone was dressing up, trying to replicate the photos of the old fashioned paintings. It was before the race and we had blankets all over us and arm warmers. People were just really into it and I thought that was really fun.
[Stage 6] when Cédrine and I were just hammering it on the climb, that was really fun, just dropping a lot of riders. But also we’ve just been racing really well as a unit this whole race. We’re always together and I’m really proud of that.