Liv AlUla Jayco goes to the Vuelta Femenina this week with dual ambitions in the overall classification and stage success, headlined by GC leader Mavi García.
García is a former top-10 finisher at her home Grand Tour and she will be back on Sunday, 4 May in Barcelona to target another strong result. The Spanish racer has been hard at work at altitude in recent weeks, building on a solid spring that saw her score a top-five finish at a tough Strade Bianche.
Trinca Colonel supports
Backing García on the climbs will be 2025 Liv AlUla Jayco signing Monica Trinca Colonel, who has impressed since her debut in team colours at the start of the season.
The Italian hit the ground running in February with a strong fourth-placed finish overall at the UAE Tour Women. She has since been a positive force within the squad during the hilly one-day races throughout the spring, including eighth at her debut Liège–Bastogne–Liège and at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.
Mavi García
“This year will be a little different, for me, because I haven’t competed much before La Vuelta. I’ve had a long time to prepare for the race, and I’m excited to get going! I’ve been training hard and well in Sierra Nevada for 20 days. I spent part of my time with the women’s team, then with the men, and finally on my own for a few days. I hope to arrive feeling refreshed and I’m excited to try for a good result at my home race with a very strong team behind me.”
Sprint opportunities
In addition to the climbing chances littered through the race, there will be some opportunities for the fast women in the pack, too. Georgia Baker will lead the team’s sprint goals, with strong support from Letizia Paternoster.
The pair worked well together during the cobbled Classics earlier this season and will partner up again in Spain with some good momentum behind them.
Baker made her debut at the race last season, taking an impressive second place on stage four by beating some tough competitors in the dash to the line. Paternoster has also been on the stage podium before, scoring second in Madrid on the final day of the 2019 event and finishing runner up in the young rider competition.
Brent Copeland (General Manager)
“We’re excited that the stage race phase of the season is starting for our women’s team, kicking off with their first Grand Tour – La Vuelta Femenina. The team have been consistently racing well so far this season with top 10 results in almost all races and it looks like they’re coming close to a big victory.
The Vuelta Femenina, as a race, is growing each season and we’re grateful for all the support from race organisers and of course all our sponsors, who enable us to be on the start line with the best team possible, in the best shape and with the right equipment to deliver at the highest level.
We’ve put together a very strong team. The riders have been training and racing well, and we hope this year’s edition of La Vuelta is great show and that we can deliver a top result.”
A trio of strong riders
Completing the squad will be a trio of strong riders to guide the team’s leaders through each stage. Jeanne Korevaar has cemented herself as the team’s road captain with a wealth of experience built over her career.
Amber Pate adds yet more power to the line-up as well as TT talent that will be important in the opening team time trial around Barcelona. Josie Talbot completes the roster as she makes her debut at the Vuelta Femenina, providing support across the tricky terrain of northern Spain.
Gene Bates (Sport Director)
“We’re really excited coming into the Vuelta Femenina. We’ve been preparing for it with riders training at altitude and we’ve got a good mix of riders for this course. In the climbing department, we’ll have Monica Trinca Colonel and Mavi García. Mavi is no stranger to the race and we’re hopeful that she can have a really good ride in the overall classification. Monica has been showing some great form recently and we think she can be great climbing support, and she’ll target some stages, too.
First, we have to get through the team time trial, and I believe that we have a great team for that. We’ve got a lot of the riders that formed part of the Classics squad that will be part of the team, and that same team will be really beneficial in some of those early stages where the potential for crosswinds and echelons is very high, riding through the centre of Spain.
This team is a great one for riding for stages and the overall, I think it’s a really well-rounded and complete team. We’ve got Georgia Baker to target the flatter sprint stages and our climbers for the backend for when it gets really hard.”
Liv AlUla Jayco for the Vuelta Femenina 2025
Georgia Baker (AUS)
Mavi García (SPA)
Jeanne Korevaar (NED)
Amber Pate (AUS)
Letizia Paternoster (ITA)
Josie Talbot (AUS)
Monica Trinca Colonel (ITA)
Photo: Sprint Cycling
