The second stage of the individual time trial set the stage for the final third stage of the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta. After a first stage that ended in an uphill sprint with only a small time difference, the 9.3km race against the clock in Boadilla del Monte brought the time trial specialists to the forefront in a battle for seconds and a tight battle for the overall win. Lisa Brennauer (Serratigit WNT), the 2019 winner of the Madrid Challenge, won the ITT ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo). In the overall standings, Brennauer, who finished third in the first stage and earned a bonus second, is 10 seconds ahead of Longo Borghini. Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) is 17 seconds back in fourth place, followed by Lorena Wiebes and Leah Kirchmann of Team Sunweb with 18 and 23 seconds respectively. Van Vleuten's teammate Sarah Roy is 27 seconds back in seventh place overall, with Mieke Krager (Hitech Products Bilk Sport) another three seconds behind; Alice Burns (Canyon-SRAM), in ninth, trails Brenoer by 33 seconds, and Maaike Boogaard in tenth ( Alley BTC Ljubljana) is 35 seconds behind.

The final stage consists of 17 laps around a 5.9 km circuit that includes the Paseo del Prado, Paseo Recoletos, and Paseo de la Castellana. The first 14 laps will be followed by intermediate sprints every two laps, with time bonuses of 5, 2, and 1 second. In the final stage, the first three riders will receive bonus seconds of 15, 10, and 5 seconds. A total of 50 second bonuses may be awarded to one rider, so the overall winner is never in doubt.

Brennauer, who will wear the race leader's red jersey, has shown time and again that he can hold his own in a group sprint. She may not be able to beat De Panne and stage 1 winner Wiebes for the stage win, but the German champion has a good chance to win the overall if she can get bonus seconds in the early intermediate sprint and focus on finishing in the top three in the stage. The Trek-Segafredo team of Longo Borghini and van Dijk will likely take a different tactic: neither is a strong sprinter, but both can hold their own in a breakaway group - and their sport director, 2018 Madrid final stage breakaway winner Giorgia Bronzini, who won the race. With such expertise, expect the team to try to get the race rolling from the start and wear down Brennauer and Wiebes' teammates. Mitchelton Scott may help Trek-Segafredo race hard. With van Vleuten and Roy, the Australian team has two cards to play. Van Vleuten has not fully recovered from the wrist injury that forced him to abandon the Giro Rosa, and the Dutch superstar is generally happy to free his teammate. Roy is an excellent sprinter who finished second to Bronzini two years ago, knows how to hit the right moves, and can pick up bonuses along the way. However, Team Sunweb will support Vives in his quest for a sprint finish, organize the race, and gain bonus seconds in the intermediate sprints to lead the sprinter to a stage win. Kirchmann will join the breakaway as a "chaperone" and will not help maintain the breakaway, but will sprint for time bonuses whenever possible. Burns is an excellent sprinter and may take his chances from the peloton, while 11th-placed Hannah Ludwig also has a teammate who could play Kirchmann's role in the breakaway. Meanwhile, Krager and Boogaard are known as breakaway specialists and could lend their firepower to the breakaway. Ultimately, however, it is important to remember that the Madrid stage was only won by a breakaway in 2018, while the other four events were settled by sprints. Thus, Brennauer and Wiebes should be considered the main contenders to win the 2020 Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta.