“Next year I’ll come back that little bit sharper" - Paula Blasi makes Tour de France Femmes vow as she faces decision on her transfer future
CyclingMonday, 10 August 2026 at 12:15
Paula Blasi closed out her first Tour de France Femmes with a performance that confirms her name now sits among the biggest prospects in the international peloton. The 23-year-old Catalan finished fifth overall after a spectacular final stage in Nice, where she took second on the day and jumped two places in one go. The result puts the seal on an outstanding season and ushers in a decisive week to determine where she will continue her career.
The UAE Team ADQ rider started the final day in seventh overall, but refused to settle for defending it. She went on the attack and earned double reward: second on the stage and a leap to fifth in the final standings. The podium her team chased did not arrive, but Blasi leaves France with a top five on debut after nine days trading blows with some of the world’s best.
“I’m taking away a lot of lessons for next year,” Blasi told Eurosport before the final stage. An experience that, in her view, will pay off when she returns to France: “next year I’ll come back that little bit sharper.”
The Tour began for Blasi in a role away from the top of her team’s hierarchy. Elisa Longo Borghini was UAE’s leader and Dominika Wlodarczyk also started ahead in the initial plans. The Catalan was to do her job and seize the chances that might open during the race.
And that is how she progressed until becoming one of her team’s standout riders. From stage 1 she moved into the lead of the young rider classification in the white jersey and managed to stay close to the best in the early days.
The stage 4 time trial further underlined her level and kept her in the fight for the front positions. Then came the day to Beaujolais, where she lost more time after working for her teammates, although the race still offered enough terrain to recover.
UAE Team L'IMAD's Paula Blasi
Nice reshapes Blasi’s final result
The passage over Mont Ventoux was another major test. Blasi answered again and held firm alongside riders like Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo. For a rider tackling her first Tour and only now completing her first full professional season, each of those days brought fresh experience.
Everything hinged on the final day. Blasi started seventh and knew she had to try if she wanted to get closer to the target set by the team.
The Catalan delivered an outstanding ride. She finished second in Nice and that result lifted her two places to fifth overall. The podium had been one of UAE Team L'IMAD’s ambitions, but Blasi herself had already admitted before the start they were “really hungry for that podium.”
That prize did not come, but her debut at the Grande Boucle still yielded a result of great value. She also ended as the team’s second-best finisher in the final standings.
Her campaign in France rounds off a season in which almost every new setting has brought another confirmation. Blasi won the Amstel Gold Race, triumphed at LaVuelta and also took victories at the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour des Pyrénées and Durango.
The Tour, however, posed a different challenge. It was her first Grand Tour outside Spain, with nine stages, a time trial, Mont Ventoux, and a team structure where she was not the primary reference point. Blasi grew in stature until finishing inside the top five.
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Crucial moment for her career
The French result also arrives just before a week that could prove pivotal for her career. Blasi has one more year on her contract with UAE Team L'IMAD, who want to keep a rider who has become one of the season’s big revelations.
But that is not the only option. Lidl-Trek and Movistar Team are also pushing hard for her signature. The decision will rest with the rider and her agent, Alex Carera, in a move that should be resolved during August.
Movistar stands out among the strongest alternatives. The telecom-backed structure is looking to bolster its women’s project, and Blasi’s progression fits the profile of a young, versatile rider able to contend in both Grand Tours and the Classics.
For now, the Catalan leaves the Tour with a certainty: her first contact with the race has become much more than a toe in the water. She finished fifth, brushed the podium, and showed she can race at the front in a Grand Tour.
“Next year I’ll come back that little bit sharper,” Blasi said. Before thinking about her next Tour, she will have to decide which team she wants to tackle it with.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Pogacar is uae been there all career without them he is not the best in history. Creds to them for that and their the best team now too, its impossible to beat that combo. Dont know whats hard to grasp by that. And they raising del toro too to become great rider its hard for other teams to keep up with that.miguel10-08-2026
- pretty obvious van aert isnt what he used to be. Hes not close to pogacar or mvdp anymore in flandern and not a contender even. Hes regressed alot from what he was. Just a factmiguel10-08-2026
- When you trying to judge here please consider first: - would any of Visma domestiques do same to Pogačar? - would any of UAE domestiques do same to Jonas Vingegaard? The only answer that comes to mind is: NO, they respect each other. So why the hell Gery/FDJ had to do such a dirty and not necessary move? Shame on them.averagecyclist10-08-2026
- Video footage of the incident is unclear, but apparently Gery was acting as leadout for Demi, with Kasia on Demi's wheel. At a steep uphill turn, Gery then slowed down and moved to the side to let Demi through, but in the process, blocked Kasia who reacted to Demi's attack, but had to avoid Gery, thereby losing momentum. FDJ's DS Lars Boom confirmed that what happened was his specific instructions to Gery, " to stay in Vollering’s wheel until after the turn and then drop away quietly"..FredMan10-08-2026
- wait, she apologized to demi but not to gery? after all, gery took all the shit storm ...Ketterechts10-08-2026
- Pogi and Wout respect each other, just like Pogi and MvDP. These three are major figures in one day races, especially in Monuments and other cobbled classics. I hope Wout wins "his" races and Pogi win "his" races. The show must go on!!!PogiSloFans10-08-2026
- > Gery received death threats, so there were real consequences of Kasia confronting her in public. No - at most there were consequences of Gery dirty move.averagecyclist10-08-2026
- They won with panache on the last stage, and Demi and Kasia made peace about the previous day. Meantime, Gery received death threats, so there were real consequences of Kasia confronting her in public.Hills3310-08-2026
- You could be right, and he'll probably take it more easy in week three, to save his energy for the World Championships.PogiSloFans10-08-2026
- "“I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident yesterday." Dirty and nasty tactics is not 'incident'. “As a team, we deserved to win a beautiful Tour, with humility and pride.” And you won... with shame and arrogance.averagecyclist10-08-2026
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