In its inaugural year of 2022, the Itzulia Women’s event graced the Basque Country’s rugged landscape with its three-day presence. The OCETA sports association, known for hosting the well-established Itzulia Basque Country men’s stage race every April, took charge of organizing this exciting women’s competition.
The Itzulia Women’s race is now in its second edition and strategically positioned amidst a series of significant Spanish stage races. The Carrefour-sponsored La Vuelta Femenina, spanning from May 1 to May 7, precedes the Itzulia Women’s event at the yearly cycling schedule, while the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas is set to follow from May 18 to May 21. Fans who enjoy cycling betting will find these Itzulia Women predictions highly useful in placing their wagers.
Itzulia Women 2023 Information
Date: Friday, May 12 to Sunday, May 14, 2023
Location: Basque Country, Spain
How to Watch: Eurosport/GCN
First Stage: Etxebarria – Markina-Xemein, 05/12/23, 122.2 km
Second Stage: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Amurrio, 05/13/23, 133.2 km
Third Stage: Donostia – Donostia. 05/14/23, 114.8 km
Itzulia Women Analysis
The first-ever Itzulia Women’s cycling standings showed Demi Vollering as the winner. Vollering will be the top pick in this year’s Itzulia Womens predictions. However, there is a stronger field this year. So, the Itzulia Women 2023 picks will have no shortage of strong contenders for the title.
Last year’s top three places for the Itzulia Women’s race saw an impressive display of dominance from Demi Vollering of Team SD Worx, who clinched victory in all three stages as well as the general cycling standings. Pauliena Rooijakkers of Canyon-SRAM secured the second spot on the leaderboard, trailing Vollering by 47 seconds, while Kristen Faulkner of Team BikeExchange-Jayco rounded off the podium with a 1:07-minute gap.
Vollering is back in this year’s edition. She’ll be looking to repeat her 2022 showing. The Itzulia Women predictions show Vollering as the top contender, leaving the rest of the field to catch up. Teammate Niamhn Fisher-Black will be another top rider. Fisher-Black was one of the top youth riders from last season. So, cycling betting experts expect her to have a strong showing, possibly cracking the podium.
This year’s field also includes Pauliena Rooijakkers, last year’s runner-up. She should contend for the title this year, giving Vollering a good run for her money. The Canyon SRAM comes to Itzulia packed with other high-level riders; Ricarda Bauerfeind is one of the main competitors. She finished fifth in the cycling standings at Vuelta Feminina, placing third in one stage. Teammate Kasia Niewiadoma, who finished tenth at la Vuelta, should have a strong showing. Both Bauerfeind and NIewiadoma could be dark horse picks to take the Itzulia title this year.
Another top riding team, FDJ-Suez, is expected to have a strong showing, according to Itzulia Women predictions. Marta Cavalli and Evita Muzic are the top contenders for this team. Cavalli finished fourth in last year’s Itzulia challenge. She will be another strong contender for the title this time around. Also, Muzic could have a strong showing, making her another interesting dark horse pick for most cycling betting enthusiasts.
The Vuelta Femenina winner Annemiek van Vleuten may become Vollering’s main rival. Van Vleuten is not known as the best rider in the field but has shown to be smart and aggressive when needed. She’ll be in top shape entering Itzulia, making her a worthy contender.
Itzulia Women predictions
The safe bet is Vollering. She won last year’s edition and has shown to be a good overall rider. She’ll be hard to beat. Her teammate Fisher-Black may crack the top three. However, Vollering’s biggest competitor is van Vleuten. Expect her to become a persistent presence throughout the race as both riders duel it out to take home the Itzulia 2023 title.
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