National champion Ella Wyllie made a stunning return from injury to claim the blue jersey for the best under-23 rider in the Itzulia Women’s World Tour race in Spain.

The three-day women’s stage race covered 360km with more than 5000m of climbing in northern Spain’s Basque country.

Ella finished in the peloton behind solo winner Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) in 10th place and with an invaluable two second time bonus, she claimed the blue jersey as best young rider.

The Auckland rider was away in a small group but they wereswept up by the peloton in the final sprint, with Wyllie holding on for 10th.

“It’s a big confidence boost, particularly after a couple quiet months for me with injury. As always, it’s a huge team effort and I’m happy with today,” said Wyllie.

The stage came down to the final climb where the strongest riders pulled away, mixing with the breakaway that was caught on the steep slopes. Vollering went off for a solo victory, but behind her, a fight for the remaining GC spots and the blue jersey emerged.

“The start of the climb was pretty chaotic because of the town in the lead-in and the narrow roads, but pretty quickly it was determined by who had the legs. I was feeling good,” Ella said.