Mara Roldan post-Vuelta after a great ride: ‘My legs are kaput!’

Mara Roldan continues to break into the pro ranks, now having finished her first Grand Tour, the Vuelta España Femenina. And not only did she finish the week-long race, she had a more than respectable result. The Team Picnic PostNL rider finished 25th overall, vaulting up the standings on the final stage, where she placed 23rd. The Canadian is coming off a solid spring campaign, including a top-10 at the Amstel Gold Race. Her results so far this year clearly convinced her team she was ready to take on her first Vuelta.

Her debut at the Vuelta España Femenina

“My first thoughts when I learned I was going to the Vuelta was excitement, of course! I did not think I would be doing a Grand Tour in my first year racing in the WorldTour, but the fact that my team believed I was capable of it really motivated me and gave me the confidence to really give it my all the entire week,” she said.

Roldan said she was brought in to support her teammates Nienke Vinke and Eleonora Ciabocco.

“They had just done a solid block of altitude, so my ultimate goal of the week was to help them where I could and support them as long as possible on the climbs and technical mountain terrain we were challenged with,” she said.

Longest and toughest stage race yet for Roldan

Roldan said the Vuelta was definitely the longest stage race she has done—and by far the highest level of racing as well. “Every day was an opportunity to help my team and to play an important part in the end result of each stage, whether that was to help position for a sprint finish, a full-gas leadout in a headwind, or getting over 12 per cent climbs to help a teammate stay with the front group on the descent over the other side,” she said.

That was a whirlwind of a finale 🌶️

Van der Breggen takes the win with a late attack while Eleonora Ciabocco, Mara Roldan and Nienke Vinke fought all the way to the line to limit losses on the day, conceding 26″ to the stage winner ⏱️ #LaVueltaFemenina🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/c5cPdg0DX3

— Team Picnic PostNL (@picnicpostnl) May 7, 2025

As expected, as the race went on, she felt it in the legs—especially during the final three stages. She also had some bad luck with crashes in three of the stages, something that made recovery even tougher on a rider.

Pushing through the pain

“I was also battling quite a bit of pain and soreness day after day. My hip was quite painful, and at first, I thought I had maybe broken a finger, but luckily we had our team doctor on site with us. With his help and the support of the girls and other staff, I was able to continue,” she said.

The 21-year-old WorldTour rider said that despite the pain, she was very determined to push through all seven days, especially since her team leaders were both sitting just outside the top 10 GC with two days to go, and she really wanted to be there to help them.

Adapting to challenges

The learning curve continues for Roldan as she navigates her way through new and harder races.

“I feel like I am coming out of it obviously exhausted, but also with the confidence of knowing that I am capable of doing a race of this level and duration. It was also interesting to see how the dynamic of the racing changed as more people got tired over the week,” she said.

 

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A post shared by Mara Roldan (@m.a.r.a.r.o.l.d.a.n)

With crashes and fatigue, some teams had to adapt and change their tactics, and she said it was also interesting to see that the riders who were really strong on the first days weren’t necessarily still the strongest on the last days.

“It made me realize how crucial things like nutrition, sleep, and recovery are to getting through a race like that. I was so thankful to learn and be guided through the expertise of our staff and teammates who had more experience,” she said.

High points of her first Vuelta

Some stage highlights for her, she said, were the third stage and the last day.

“Just because on the third day, I felt like I had endless lives. I just kept coming back to pull at the front for my team the whole day, and did a really good job for them, so I was quite happy,” she said. “And then the last day was a highlight as well, just because it was so hard. To have to push the physical and mental limits like that—even with the fatigue and pain of the injuries—was something I was quite proud of. And to have survived the race long enough to really help Nienke and see her finish in the top 10 GC that day was really the cherry on top of the cake!”

Canadians Jackson and Roldan with fine rides to make Amstel Gold Race top-10

The Vuelta began with a team time trial—she had only done one before, at the world championships in 2024. That one, the mixed relay, was a little different since she only rode with two other riders.

“This was much different, since there were seven of us and not just three. Because the race was so short, the pace had to be really high too. But I think that even with the lack of practice and inexperience our team had with TTTs, we can be really happy with a sixth-place finish,” she said.

Looking ahead

As far as what’s next, that is still up in the air.

“I still have to decide whether I want to go home for the nationals, and that will depend on my calendar in the next few months,” she said. “For now, what I can for sure say is that I am getting some much-needed rest and sleep at my Sittard home in the Netherlands in preparation for the next race block.”