Spanish cyclist Paula Blasi, 23, has won the 12th edition of the Vuelta Femenina after overpowering race leader Anna van der Breggen on the brutal Alto de El Angliru (a notoriously steep Asturian mountain climb reaching gradients of 23%), arriving 36 seconds ahead of the Dutch veteran in the final stage to overturn an 18-second deficit and claim overall victory. Blasi, a former duathlete and middle-distance runner turned professional cyclist with UAE Team, also won last month's Amstel Gold Race and becomes the first Spanish woman ever to win her home grand tour. Van der Breggen, 36, finished second overall, while Swiss rider Petra Stiasny won the closing stage itself and France's Marion Bunel took third in the general classification.