Letizia Paternoster soared into the red leader’s jersey at La Vuelta Femenina after sprinting to second place in challenging conditions.
Following a strong performance from the Liv AlUla Jayco squad in the opening team time trial, Paternoster was in prime position to take over the race lead with a strong result at the finish line in what promised to be a stage for the fast women in the pack.
Thanks to some top work from her teammates, the Italian was at the forefront throughout the final kilometres. She led the group down a wet and technical descent before entering the winding city streets to the line, expertly escaping a crash just behind her as the group sped around the final bend.
Paternoster then powered to the line, hauling back a gap to her compatriot Letizia Borghesi to secure second place on the stage. With the bonus seconds on offer, the 25-year-old jumped right to the top of the overall standings to claim the race lead.
Monica Trinca Colonel made it two riders in the top 10 on the stage, finishing fifth on the uphill run to the line. She now sits in seventh overall with Mavi García also jumping into the top 10 in the general classification, both at six seconds behind Paternoster.
Letizia Paternoster
“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how, but I am the leader of my first La Vuelta Femenina, and I am absolutely shocked at the moment. I am so happy and grateful because tomorrow I start with the red jersey and Liv AlUla Jayco on it and this team deserves everything. The staff and the girls work so much and finally I bring something to them. I feel so grateful to be part of this family and for me it means so much to bring something to this team because they deserve so much in life. They saved my career and to be here I am so proud just to say thanks to our team, all of our sponsors and the people around because they are amazing. They deserve so much.”
Gene Bates (Sport Director)
“What a fantastic day for Letizia, the team here in Spain and the greater team as a whole. When we win, we all win. To take the red jersey today and to finish second on the stage to Marianne Vos certainly feels like a win for our team. We wanted to target the stage for Letizia and we knew the stage would really suit her characteristics. It was very technical and with the rain it made it even more so, and we saw in the final there that she really knows how to handle her bike.
She is one of the best in those situations so it was fantastic to see her get up there and claiming the jersey today, it was the icing on the cake. Also, to get through safely, there were a few crashes out there today and we knew how treacherous the descent would be, particularly if it was wet. I’m pleased we got through safely and didn’t lose any time. That was another big goal ticked off. Two days in, the team is really confident and we’ve got some big momentum so looking forward to the coming days.”
La Vuelta Femenina 2025 stage 2 results
1 Marianne Vos 02:35:13
2 Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) st
Overall standings after stage 2
1 Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) 02:44:40
2 Femke Gerritse +2
