The best female road cyclist in the Americas over the last decade, Cuban Arlenis Sierra Cañadilla, has been confirmed as part of the Movistar Team for the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women.
The 31-year-old Cuban rider will be part of the seven-rider lineup that the Spanish team will field in one of the most important events on the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar. The race will take place from May 30 to June 7, 2026, over nine stages in northern Italy.
Sierra will share the team with a top-level squad led by Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, a four-time European time trial champion and runner-up in the 2025 edition of the Giro. She will also be joined by Cat Ferguson (United Kingdom), Mareille Meijer (Netherlands), Francesca Barale (Italy), Tota Magalhaes (Brazil), and Aude Biannic (France).
The team arrives with high morale after Cat Ferguson’s excellent form, which culminated in her victory on May 13th at the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic. Reusser, meanwhile, returns to competition after recovering from the injury she suffered at the Tour of Flanders.
Arlenis Sierra’s role within the team
Within this lineup, Arlenis Sierra will contribute her experience, skill, and speed to the Spanish team. Alongside Mareille Meijer and Aude Biannic, the Cuban will be a key player in the sprints and in supporting the leaders on the flat stages.
Movistar Team described this lineup as “a squad with experience, stamina, and young talent” to tackle a particularly demanding edition of the Giro d’Italia, where they will aim to fight for top positions in the general classification and stage wins.
The route includes a total of nine stages that will test all the participants, with a balance between sprint finishes, breakaways, and battles in the high mountains.
Sierra’s history in the Giro d’Italia
This is not Arlenis Sierra’s first time competing in the Giro d’Italia. It will be her sixth participation. In previous editions, the Cuban has demonstrated her quality in the Italian Grand Tour.
Among her standout results is her third place in the fifth stage of the 2024 Giro d’Italia in a mass sprint, competing head-to-head with world champions like Elisa Balsamo and Marianne Vos. In that same edition, she finished fourth in the second stage. Sierra will be looking to improve on those results and contribute to Movistar Team’s fight for the pink jersey.
Source: Duanys Hernández Torres, Cubavisión Internacional