Paula Blasi
Paula Blasi (born 19 February 2003 in Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain) is a Spanish road racing cyclist for UCI Women's WorldTeam UAE Team ADQ and the breakout star of the 2026 season. In a stunning rise, barely two years after taking up the sport, she became the first Spanish woman to win a cycling Monument-level Classic at the Amstel Gold Race, then the first Spanish rider ever to win the Vuelta a España Femenina. A former middle-distance runner from Catalonia, she has rewritten what is possible for Spanish women's cycling. Find Paula Blasi's latest results, stats and race calendar on this page.
Biography of pro cyclist Paula Blasi
Paula Blasi's story is one of the most remarkable in modern cycling. A runner until injury forced a change of direction, she switched to the bike at 21 and, within a couple of seasons, was beating the sport's biggest names on its biggest stages.
Riding for UAE Team ADQ, the young Catalan combines climbing strength with fearless racing instinct. Her 2026 season, crowned by victories at the Amstel Gold Race and the Vuelta a España Femenina, announced her as a generational talent for Spanish cycling.
Early life and switch from athletics
Blasi grew up in Esplugues de Llobregat, in the province of Barcelona, and first made her name in middle-distance running, racing the 800 and 1,500 metres and competing in duathlon and triathlon. Following her brother into athletics, she even spent time playing football and rugby at university.
An injury in early 2024 forced her to stop running, and unable to do much beyond ride a bike, she joined the Catalonia-based Massi-Baix Ter club at the age of 21 and started racing that March. The transition was almost immediate: in 2024 she finished fourth overall at both the Tour de l'Avenir and the Giro della Toscana, marking her out as an extraordinary natural talent.
Rapid rise and a historic 2026
Blasi joined the UAE Development Team for 2025 and quickly earned promotion to the WorldTour-level UAE Team ADQ in May, having won the Gran Premio della Liberazione and the Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic.
Then came her landmark 2026. At the Amstel Gold Race she launched a long solo attack on the Cauberg and held off the chase to win, her first UCI Women's WorldTour victory, and the first time a Spanish woman had won the Dutch Classic. Weeks later she went one better, winning the Vuelta a España Femenina overall after holding firm on the brutal Angliru climb, becoming the first Spanish rider in history to win her home Grand Tour.
Rider profile: strengths, style and characteristics
Blasi is a pure climber with the punch and daring to win one-day Classics as well as stage races. Her endurance base from athletics, combined with a fearless, attacking style, makes her dangerous on any hard, hilly or mountainous course. She is unafraid to commit to long-range moves, a trait that delivered both of her biggest 2026 wins.
Personal life
From Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, Blasi came to cycling via a varied athletic background in running, triathlon, football and rugby. Often compared to Spanish trailblazer Mavi García, she has quickly become a role model and a source of excitement for Catalan and Spanish sport.
Records and milestones
- Overall winner, Vuelta a España Femenina (2026), first Spanish winner in history
- Winner, Amstel Gold Race (2026), first Spanish woman to win the Classic
- Winner, Gran Premio della Liberazione (2025)
- Winner, Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic (2025)
- 4th overall, Tour de l'Avenir and Giro della Toscana (2024)
- Promoted to UAE Team ADQ in 2025; under contract with the WorldTeam
What's next for Paula Blasi?
Still only in her early twenties and barely a few seasons into the sport, Blasi's ceiling looks extraordinarily high. With a Classic and a Grand Tour already on her palmares, the next targets are clear: the hilly Classics, more Grand Tour success and, in time, the World Championships and Olympic Games. Spanish cycling has a genuine superstar in the making.
