Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) sealed overall victory at the 2026 Itzulia Women on Sunday, May 17, finishing the third and final stage in San Sebastián after one of the most nail-biting GC defences of the women’s WorldTour season. The Dutch rider was dropped on the steep slopes of Mendizorrotz, went over the summit roughly half a minute behind a chasing group, then carved back into the lead group on the descent to keep her overall jersey safe with 300 metres to spare.
Stage 3 was won by Bredewold’s teammate-turned-rival in this one, Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ), who doubled up after taking Stage 2 earlier in the week. But it was Bredewold who walked away with the leader’s jersey and the points classification, ending two consecutive years as Itzulia Women’s runner-up.
What Happened: Three Stages, A Front Group, And A Frightening Descent
The 2026 Itzulia Women ran from May 15 to 17 across three short, climb-stacked stages in the Basque Country, totalling roughly 6,800 metres of elevation gain and 14 categorised climbs. Bredewold took the leader’s jersey on Stage 1 in Zarautz, winning a five-rider reduced sprint on a rain-soaked opening day from Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Riejanne Markus.
Włodarczyk claimed her first WorldTour win on Stage 2 between Abadiño and Amorebieta-Etxano, and then repeated the feat on the final stage to Donostia. The drama on Sunday came on the punchy climb of Mendizorrotz, where a strong front group splintered off and Bredewold was briefly dropped. Television commentators thought the race was over for SD Worx-Protime — until Bredewold cornered her way back into the lead group on the technical descent in the closing kilometres.
The final GC saw Bredewold finish 21 seconds clear of Yara Kastelijn in second place. Ema Comte of Cofidis was crowned U23 winner after finishing 19th overall, while FDJ-Suez took the team classification.
Why It Matters
Bredewold’s overall win is a milestone in two ways. First, it ends a personal hoodoo: she had finished runner-up at Itzulia Women in both 2024 and 2025, twice losing the jersey on the final climbs. Second, it is one more piece of evidence that SD Worx-Protime remains the dominant women’s WorldTour team even without superstar Demi Vollering, who left the squad in 2025 and skipped this year’s Itzulia.
The race itself continues to grow as a marquee event on the expanded calendar — fitting for a discipline that is having a structural moment. Prize-money parity arrived on the Women’s WorldTour in 2026, alongside a longer calendar that now stacks Itzulia Women in the run-up to La Vuelta Femenina and the rest of the spring classics block. Strong fields and televised drama on stages like Sunday’s are what justify that expanded investment.
Tactically, the way Bredewold won will resonate well beyond the WorldTour. The decisive move was not a watt number on a climb — it was a willingness to take risks on a wet, technical descent when the race seemed lost. Descending is one of the most underrated skills in road racing, and Bredewold just turned it into a major-race win.
What This Means For You
For amateur riders watching this finale, there are a couple of useful takeaways. The first is that fitness alone does not win bike races. Even at the pinnacle of the sport, the rider who is willing to corner hardest on a wet descent in front of 100,000 spectators can erase a 30-second gap. That is true at every level, from the WorldTour all the way down to your local crit.
If you race or ride hilly group rides, descending skill is the cheapest free speed in cycling. You don’t need to upgrade your bike to be better at it — you need to ride more descents, brake later, and learn to look through corners. For newer riders nervous about descending or pack riding, our guide to building confidence as a new female cyclist covers many of the same instincts Bredewold leaned on Sunday: low body position, eyes up, smooth inputs.
The second takeaway is about racing psychology. Bredewold has finished second at this race twice before. Sunday’s win required not only attacking on the descent, but the mental willingness to take a fly-or-die line after being dropped. That kind of decision under pressure is a learnable trait, not just a born one.
The Bigger Picture For The 2026 Season
Itzulia Women slots into a busy stretch of the women’s calendar. Demi Vollering’s record third Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes in April set the tone for the spring, and La Vuelta Femenina was already underway when Itzulia kicked off. Bredewold’s form, combined with SD Worx-Protime’s depth, makes them favourites again as the calendar shifts to the Giro d’Italia Donne and the Tour de France Femmes later in the summer.
For Włodarczyk, two stage wins represent a breakthrough. The Polish rider had not previously won at WorldTour level — and now has back-to-back victories on a marquee three-day race. UAE Team ADQ is likely to lean on her more heavily as the season progresses.
Key Takeaways
- Mischa Bredewold won the 2026 Itzulia Women overall, 21 seconds ahead of Yara Kastelijn after defending on a technical descent on the final stage in San Sebastián.
- Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) won both Stage 2 and Stage 3, claiming her first and second WorldTour victories.
- Bredewold also took the points classification; Ema Comte (Cofidis) won the U23 jersey; FDJ-Suez won the team classification.
- Descending was the decisive skill — Bredewold was dropped on the climb of Mendizorrotz and rejoined the lead group on the way down.
- The win ends two consecutive runner-up finishes for Bredewold at this race and reinforces SD Worx-Protime as the team to beat heading into the summer Grand Tours.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Cyclingmagazine, and the official Itzulia Women race site.
