Dates 13 September 2015 Distance 87 km (54.06 mi) Winner Shelley Olds (USA) | Stages 1 Winning time 2h 06' 21" Second Giorgia Bronzini (ITA) | |
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The 2015 La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta was held on 13 September 2015, in Madrid, Spain. It coincided with the final day of the 2015 Vuelta a España, and was scheduled a few hours before the conclusion to the men's race. A multi-lap course, the 87 kilometres (54 mi) women's road cycling race was rated as a 1.1 category race. It was won by Shelley Olds (Alé–Cipollini), who beat Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle–Honda) and Kirsten Wild (Team Hitec Products).
Contents
Entry
Thirteen of the UCI women's team entered the race, featuring between four and seven riders. They were joined by national teams from Portugal and Spain, bringing the total entry up to 88 riders. A number of the top teams and riders did not take part in the race, as they concentrated on preparing for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships the following week.
Course
The women's race was scheduled on the same day as the final stage of the men's Vuelta a España, and the course followed 15 laps of the same 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) loop that the men would race on later. For the Madrid Challenge, the women started in the Plaza de Cibeles, and headed north along Paseo de Recoletos, before a tight hairpin turn to return to Plaza de Cibeles. The course then turned west onto Gran Vía, before another hairpin turn brought the race back to Plaza de Cibeles once more, where the course bent south down Paseo del Prado. A final hairpin took the course back to the Plaza de Cibeles to complete the lap. The course is relatively flat, favouring sprinters. On each lap, the first five riders to pass the start/finish line were awarded points in an intermediate sprint.
Preview
In 2014, the Tour de France added a women's race on the final day, known as La Course by Le Tour de France, and the organisers of the Vuelta a España opted to do similar in 2015. The plans were initially put on hold due to clashes with the Chrono Champenois-Trophée Européen, Belgium Tour and Giro della Toscana, but despite this, it was given approval as a 1.1 category race.