Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health) has shown her talent as a climber several times before, but more often than not, the 24-year-old Swisswoman was held back by time losses or crashes.

On the last stage of La Vuelta Femenina 2026, finishing atop the Alto L'Angliru, everything finally came together for Stiasny to take her first WorldTour victory on a climb she described as her "happy place".

In La Vuelta Femenina, she only finished with the peloton on stage 5, being dropped on the first four stages – but she didn't suffer a crash and made it to the final stage.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our La Vuelta Femenina coverage as the likes of Anna van der Breggen, Paula Blasi, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and others battle it out. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from one of the biggest women's stage races of the season. Find out more.