Claire Steels, brilliant winner of the 4th edition of the reVolta
April 29 th 2023 - 19:59 [GMT + 2]
Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech-Roland) was the winner of the 4th edition of the reVolta, the women's race of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, on Saturday 29 April. The British rider has shown her great condition leaving behind the defending champion, the German Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis Women Team), in the ramps of the Alt de la Creu d'Aragall, arriving alone at the finish line in Sant Cugat del Vallès after 126.9 kilometres of a race that has released this 2023 the international category UCI 1.1 with an international peloton with more than 30 nationalities.
The reVolta lived this Saturday a very special fourth edition, which meant its consolidation in the UCI calendar with a peloton of about ninety cyclists with the presence of thirteen teams, among which there were ten UCI category teams, among the best in the world. The challenge ahead of the cyclists was a demanding route with start and finish in Sant Cugat del Vallès that would select the race at the start with the Castellbisbal and Ullastrell mountain passes, and especially with the presence of the Alt de la Creu d'Aragall (1st category) less than 30 kilometres from the finish line, which promised to be decisive.
A group of new riders arrived with a few seconds of advantage to this decisive stretch of the race, being caught just at the foot of the final climb thanks to the control work of the Israel Premier Tech-Roland and Cofidis Women Team, two of the great favourites for the victory. On the hardest slopes of the Alt de la Creu d'Aragall, Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech-Roland) launched a solo attack that only the number one rider of this reVolta, the German Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis Women Team), was able to follow, who reached the top of the climb half a minute ahead of the British rider, while a group of about twenty riders fought in pursuit.
The descent and the terrain back to Sant Cugat only increased Steels' lead, who was able to celebrate her first victory in a race on the international calendar in front of a packed Avingua Pla del Vinyet in Sant Cugat. In second place came Clara Koppenburg, while her Cofidis Women Team teammate, Australian Josie Tabot, completed the podium in third place. Cofidis Women Team was the best team of the day, Ines Van der Linden (Team Groupe Abadie) won the mountains classification, Valeria Valgonen (Massi-Tactic) was the best U23 rider, Claire Steels herself won the intermediate sprints classification and the combativity and Ariana Gilabert (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) was the best Catalan rider.
A prestigious podium for the 4th edition of the reVolta, which celebrated its first edition as a UCI 1.1 international event with the presence of great teams and cyclists of up to 33 nationalities. The race, which for the first time could be followed live on television on TV3, generated repercussions worthy of the event.
"It was a great race with a great route. When we caught her on the last pass, we had a point to attack and it worked. I was hoping to have a breakaway companion, because it was a good solo section, but I trusted in myself and it was worth it. It's my first pro and it means a lot to me", explained winner Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech-Roland), whose next challenge is La Vuelta Femenina.