At her first road race of the season, Italian rider Federica Venturelli immediately celebrates her first victory of 2026.
The 21-year-old from San Bassano (Cremona) claimed a brilliant win today at the Clásica de Almería, unleashing a powerful sprint that capped a perfect day for UAE Team ADQ, once again protagonists throughout the race.
The 118.8-kilometre course, starting in Almería and finishing in Tabernas, was animated early on by a breakaway that included the young Spanish rider Celia Torres, who showed great courage by spending much of the day at the front.
In the peloton, Brodie Chapman and Milana Ushakova did an excellent job controlling the race. On a climbing section, several riders bridged across, including another Spanish rider, Paula Blasi, who played an active role in the middle phases of the race.
In the finale, after a solo attack by one rider, UAE Team ADQ once again worked as a unit to bring the leading group back together, setting up a compact finish in the final kilometres. Venturelli’s sprint proved unstoppable, as she edged out the experienced Arlenis Sierra of Movistar Team, with Paula Blasi finishing in an excellent fifth place.
After the race, Federica Venturelli said: “I’m really happy with this victory. I wasn’t expecting it, because I knew we were here with a very strong team and I thought the opportunity would come first for the others. Also, in the past few days I had a small knee issue, so I wasn’t sure I was at my best.
We raced very smart and aggressively: first with Celia Torres in the breakaway, then with Paula Blasi on the climb, and finally in the last kilometres with new attacks from Paula and Brodie Chapman, while I was able to save some energy for the final sprint. In the last kilometres I felt really good and managed to deliver my sprint. This win gives me a lot of confidence, because it had been two years since my last road race victory, and starting the season like this is unexpected and makes me very happy. I share this success with the whole team: we raced very united, and I was also really impressed by the two Development Team riders at their first race in this category – they were fundamental, just like all my teammates and the staff. Thank you everyone.”
