Benidorm gives the women a dry, fast race on the Costa Blanca, on a lap that twists through Foietes and El Moralet parks over stairs, short climbs and sand, with a 100-metre sandbank added in 2026. The women's race joined the World Cup in January 2023, and Fem van Empel won the first three editions. The 2024 race was the closest: Van Empel and Puck Pieterse went clear early, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado chased back and moved ahead on the final lap, and Van Empel won with a late move. In 2025 she held off Lucinda Brand in a sprint for her third win in a row. Brand won in 2026 on the new layout, her eighth World Cup win of the season, which clinched the overall title. On a dry course with few places to hide, small differences in speed and timing decide the race.