La Vuelta Femenina 2024: Kristen Faulkner of EF Education-Cannondale wins stage 4 with solo attack(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
With a time trial effort across the final 5km, USA’s Kristen Faulkner of EF Education-Cannondale sprints to the finish line as stage 4 winner(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
A view of the field sprint, 10 seconds behind winner Kristen Faulkner, with Blanka Vas of Team SD Worx-Protime in the Red Leader Jersey battling against Maike Van Der Duin of Team Canyon-SRAM Racing, Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike in the Green Points Jersey and Sheyla Gutierrez of Movistar(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Team SD Worx-Protime teammates Blanka Vas, riding in the Red Leader Jersey, and Demi Vollering ride at the front of the peloton(Image credit: Alex BroadwayGetty Images)
The peloton sweeping through a landscape during 142.3km stage 4 from Molina de Aragón to Zaragoza(Image credit: Blanka Vas of Hungary – Red Leader Jersey and Demi Vollering of The Netherlands and Team SD Worx – Protime)
EF Education-Cannondale’s Kristen Faulkner rides next to Demi Vollering of Team SD Worx-Protime and Riejanne Markus Visma-Lease a Bike in large front group(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek sets the pace in the front group of 19 riders with under 80km to go(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike rides stage 4 in the Green points jersey(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike rides stage 4 in the Green points jersey(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Erica Magnaldi of UAE Team ADQ (left), Alison Jackson of EF Education-Cannondale and Demi Vollering of Team SD Worx -Protime ride in the front group (Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Stage winner Kristen Faulkner (right) celebrates the victory with her EF Education-Cannondale teammates Magdeleine Vallieres and Alison Jackson(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Kristen Faulkner of the US (right) reacts to winning stage 4 with and EF Education-Cannondale teammate Alison Jackson of Canada(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Kristen Faulkner of EF Education-Cannondale celebrates at podium as stage 4 winner(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike celebrates at podium as Red Leader Jersey winner(Image credit: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale) won stage 4 of the Vuelta Feminina, using a small rise 6km from the finish to attack from a front group that formed in the crosswinds.
Faulkner soloed to the finish to take the team’s second Vuelta stage while Georgia Baker (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) won the sprint for second place ahead of Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who is the new overall leader. Vos took the red jersey from Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), who finished fourth.
SD Worx-Protime had strung out the field after 20km and forced echelons, with only 19 riders making the front group. The speed never let up from there on, and although a chase group of about 40 riders came together eventually and reduced their deficit to 30 seconds, they could not close the gap and ended up losing over two minutes.
“We came to try to win some stages, and we’ve already won two. It’s early in the Vuelta, and we’re already so excited and so proud of what we’ve accomplished so far,” said Faulkner after being congratulated by her teammate and stage 2 winner Alison Jackson.
The echelons that split the peloton came right after the race passed La Yunta.
“Our DS told us to make sure we were in a good position in that town, and as soon as it was up, SD Worx went straight to the front and just drilled it. Fortunately, Alison and I were in a good position and made the front group. There was one point where the gap came down to 30 seconds, we tried to rally people, and then it went back out, so it was a good day,” Faulkner described the echelon action.
“I wanted to do a last-minute attack, I knew that climb was going to be a place where a lot of teams would try to attack. I actually decided to follow or counter instead of attacking myself because I knew that some team would try to go at that point. SD Worx tried a few attacks, I just hopped on wheels.
“Then Demi [Vollering] and Elisa Longo Borghini tried one, and I was right on their wheels. I looked back, we had a small gap, and I was like, ‘this is the counter that I have to go on’. It was right before the climb, it was a great moment, so it was a bit of luck and planning,” said Faulkner of her stage-winning move.
