The last stage of the Vuelta a Andalucía that joined the towns of Alhaurín de la Torre and Pizarra in the province of Málaga did not disappoint. The ambition of the Australian team LIV ALULA JAYCO to achieve the winning poker was frustrated by a sprint finish in Pizarra in which all the riders were overcome by the speed in the last meters of the Cuban national champion Arlenis Sierra (Movistar).
The day had again the heat as a travel companion and although the terrain in the Guadalhorce Valley offered possibilities for battle, the control of the Australian team undid any breakaway attempt.
At the flying finish in Pizarra, Silke Smulders certified her victory in the overall of this secondary classification, and it was the first step for the Australian team to achieve full victory. The first mountain pass of the day, the Alto del Caminito del Rey, left no time for the riders to enjoy the beautiful scenery and Mavi García and her team controlled the race so that Alexandra Manly added the necessary points to be confirmed as the final winner of the mountain grand prix.
It only remained to be seen if at the finish line the aussie team would be able to finish the job in the sprint, but there appeared the speed of Arlenis Sierra (MOV). The Cuban, winner of the first edition of this race, managed to raise her arms at the finish line ahead of LIV sprinter Quinty Ton and Alena Amialiusik (UAE).
In the final overall Mavi García kept the yellow jersey to inscribe her name in gold letters in the list of winners of the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía Elite Women, becoming the first Spanish rider to do so.
Silke Smulders at fifteen seconds and Ella Wylie at 3:18 accompanied her on the podium of this edition, confirming the dominance of the LIV ALULA JAYCO, which also wins the final general team, the mountains, the regularity, the combined, the flying goal and the best Spanish.
Thus concludes the third edition of the Andalusian women’s round that has had a remarkable participation and that has served to take another step in its rapid rise as a reference event in the international women’s cycling calendar.