La Vuelta Femenina GC standings – Who is leading the race after stage 1?

After a thrilling opening stage at the 2026 La Vuelta Femenina, Team SD Worx-Protime's Lotte Kopecky has seized the inaugural Red Jersey, winning the 15.5km team time trial in Valencia. Her squad delivered a dominant performance, finishing 12 seconds ahead of Lidl-Trek and 18 seconds clear of Visma | Lease a Bike, establishing an early, significant advantage in the general classification for the reigning World Champion.

This immediate GC lead for Kopecky and SD Worx-Protime underscores their formidable strength and tactical prowess, particularly in team events. Coming into the first Grand Tour of the women's season, their rivals will now face the daunting task of clawing back significant time against a team renowned for defending leads. This early statement sets a high bar, signaling that the battle for the overall title will likely be a prolonged siege rather than a series of opportunistic attacks.

While it's only Stage 1, SD Worx-Protime has once again demonstrated that starting a Grand Tour on the back foot against them is a precarious position indeed.