Lidl-Trek survive late crash to open La Vuelta Femenina 2024 with narrow team time-trial victory

The team of Lidl-Trek has taken an early advantage at the La Vuelta Femenina 2024 with victory on the opening stage team time-trial, despite a dramatic crash on the final corner of the course.

The first team down the start ramp was Team Coop - Repsol and as they crossed the line, they set an early marker time of 20:48. Whilst that time held them in the hotseat for a while, Lotto Dstny Ladies did manage to unseat Coop - Repsol with their effort of 20:30, only for VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team to immediately go quicker again with 20:21.

Showing a big jump in quality, the next team to set the best time was EF Education-Cannondale. The riders in pink flew around the course, blowing all the previous times completely out of the water to set 19:29 as the new marker. AG Insurance - Soudal Team came across the line 23 seconds down on EF Education-Cannondale, before Liv AlUla Jayco came up just short, missing out by just over a second, with FDJ - Suez even closer at 0.17 of a second down on EF.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike finally knocked EF Education-Cannondale from the top spot. The team including superstar sprinter Marianne Vos and GC hopeful Riejanne Markus went just over 9 seconds quicker than the previous best time with their effort of 19:20.

Canyon//SRAM Racing threatened the Visma time, finishing 8 seconds down before Lidl-Trek managed to edge into the hotseat by just point two of a second despite Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Backstedt crashing hard on the final corner. Team SD Worx-Protime were then a little short, coming across the line in third.