2025 Vuelta a España Stages 1 to 9 Summary

2025 Vuelta a España S1: Alpecin-Deceuninck Leads the Charge, PHILIPSEN Jasper Celebrates Opening Victory

The 2025 Vuelta a España Stage 1 is one we will look back on.

On the night of August 21, the opening ceremony of this year’s race took place in Turin, Italy, with all 22 participating teams taking the stage to present the race route.
This stage covered 186.1 km and included one Category 3 climb and one intermediate sprint point.

Amid cheers from the crowd, the race began. After the ceremonial riding segment, six riders launched a breakaway. At the same time, the rest of the peloton chose to hold back, allowing a gap of about 1 minute and 30 seconds to open quickly.

The main peloton remained relatively calm, but the breakaway group saw continuous fluctuations. Riders from Soudal Quick-Step, Astana, and other teams repeatedly attempted solo attacks, successfully claiming climbing and sprint points before gradually falling back to the peloton.

As the peloton entered the city of Novara, the lead work initially handled by VISMA was taken over by Alpecin-Deceuninck and TREK, both aiming for the stage win. However, Alpecin-Deceuninck soon firmly controlled the situation, disrupting TREK’s sprint train and forcing their leader Pedersen to fight alone.

With 300 meters to go, PHILIPSEN Jasper, supported by his teammates, broke away effortlessly and secured the opening victory. After the stage, he will wear both the red and green jerseys.

2025 Vuelta a España S2: Victory by a Hair, VINGEGAARD Jonas Conquers the Piedmont Mountains

The 2025 Vuelta a España Stage 2 concluded with heavy rain early on and a thrilling finish on the final steep climb, where VINGEGAARD Jonas narrowly defeated Giulio Ciccone to take the win and the red jersey. Below is a recap of the stage.

Stage Route:
This stage was 159.6 km long and featured one intermediate sprint and a Category 2 summit finish (9.8 km at an average gradient of 5.1%).
Since the first 140 km were ridden on gentle uphill roads, all teams focused their efforts on the final 10 km battle on the Piedmont climb. Early breaks were allowed before being reeled in, setting the stage for the first direct showdown among general classification contenders.

Heavy rain greeted the race start. With a flat first half and only one intermediate sprint, riders from Bora, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and other teams launched breakaways. The peloton showed no urgency to chase, maintaining a gap of around 2 minutes.

At a roundabout 26 km from the finish, wet road conditions caused several riders to crash, including VINGEGAARD Jonas, whose fall also affected others behind.

With 6 km remaining, the frenzied peloton closed in, led by Trek and Vismara, setting a fierce pace on the climb. In the final 2 km steep section, teams entered an all-out battle.

Inside the last 500 meters, Juan Ayuso launched a solo attack to disrupt the rhythm, prompting Giulio Ciccone to react urgently.
VINGEGAARD Jonas, who had been closely marking Ciccone, decided to make his move on the final bend, catching Ciccone in the last 30 meters and sprinting to victory.

2025 Vuelta a España S3: Veteran Triumphs, David Gaudu Secures Victory on Steep Finish

Stage 3 of the 2025 Vuelta a España covered 134.3 km from Canavese to Ceres, featuring one intermediate sprint and two climbs, including a Category 4 summit finish.

Early in the stage, four riders from EF Education-EasyPost, Team Jayco AlUla, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, and Arkéa-B&B Hotels broke away.

In the peloton, VISMA led the chase, maintaining a gap of about 2 minutes.
Despite the breakaway riders’ efforts, the relentless pursuit from the peloton forced them to surrender 19 km from the finish. Teams then scrambled to form trains and position their leaders optimally for the final climb.

As the group entered the short, steep climb with 2 km left, VISMA and TREK set a hard tempo, soon joined by INEOS Grenadiers, trying to position Egan Bernal. However, their efforts faded 600 meters from the line.

Pedersen (TREK) launched an early attack, distancing rival VINGEGAARD Jonas after the final bend, but was unexpectedly overtaken by David Gaudu (FDJ) from the right side, who claimed his first Grand Tour win of the season.

2025 Vuelta a España S4: Alpecin-Deceuninck Mistake Hands Ben Turner the Win

This stage stretched 206.7 km with two climbs and one intermediate sprint. After descending two Category 2 climbs, riders faced 100 km of flat roads, offering sprint specialists a chance to recover.

After an early breakaway was caught following the climbs, the peloton regrouped. Entering the city, multiple roundabouts and sharp turns triggered fierce positioning battles. Alpecin-Deceuninck, initially in control, was blocked by other riders in the final turn, forcing a last-minute strategy shift that allowed INEOS Grenadiers’ Ben Turner to surge ahead for the win.

2025 Vuelta a España S5: TTT Showdown, UAE Team Dominates

Stage 5 of the 2025 Vuelta a España was a team time trial—a rare format in recent years, making it a珍惜-worthy spectacle. Here’s a recap.

This 24.1 km course was entirely flat, making significant time gaps difficult to achieve. For teams focused on every second, coordination, effective rotation, and teamwork were crucial to success.

Teams started in reverse order of their previous general classification standings, with 4-minute intervals between departures.
According to the rules, the finish time was taken when the fourth rider crossed the line, allowing teams to tailor strategies based on riders’ strengths.

TREK set a strong pace, recording the best time at all three intermediate checks and finishing in 25 minutes 35 seconds to temporarily lead. Subsequent teams, weaker in the TTT discipline, failed to challenge this time.

UAE Team Emirates started after TREK and broke the best time at all intermediate points, finishing in 25 minutes 26 seconds to set a new benchmark.

VISMA was 13 seconds behind UAE at the second time check, but avoided burning out their domestiques. Instead, they used full-team rotations and had VINGEGAARD Jonas lead the train in the final 3 km, finishing only 8 seconds down. This performance allowed him to reclaim the red jersey from David Gaudu.

2025 Vuelta a España S6: Family Cheers, Jay Vine Rides to Victory on Paul Hill

Stage 6 of the 2025 Vuelta a España has concluded—let’s look back.

This 178.5 km stage started with two difficult consecutive climbs, expected to reshuffle the general classification.

Early on, 10 riders broke away while the red jersey’s VISMA team stayed quiet in the peloton.
After entering Andorra, Jay Vine launched a surprise solo attack at the intermediate sprint climb. Other breakaway riders, hesitating due to mixed tactics, failed to respond, allowing Vine to build a gap of over 4 minutes ahead of the chasers and the peloton.

He eventually won the stage with a 1-minute advantage over the pursuit group.

2025 Vuelta a España S7: Tribute to Hometown, Juan Ayuso Wins

Stage 7 concluded with an early 10-rider breakaway. With general classification teams holding back, breakaway riders had another chance to shine. Juan Ayuso, the strongest among them, seized the opportunity to win in his hometown.

As the breakaway approached the final climb, an impatient Juan Ayuso attacked solo. Although some tried to follow, his strength was overwhelming, and he soon entered a solo show, winning comfortably by 1 minute over second place.

2025 Vuelta a España S8: Second Win, PHILIPSEN Jasper Sprints to Victory

Stage 8 covered 163.5 km of mostly flat roads, with the only intermediate sprint placed 40 km before the finish.

After the start, three Spanish riders broke away, and teams were content to let them go.
Once the breakaway passed the sprint point, UAE and VISMA moved to the front to ensure their leaders’ safety, taking control until 5 km from the finish before leaving it to the sprint teams.

In the final kilometer, PHILIPSEN Jasper, initially positioned poorly, used his experience to overtake Pedersen (TREK) and win the stage.

2025 Vuelta a España S9: Bike Change, New Momentum, VINGEGAARD Jonas Crushes the Field

Stage 9 was 195.5 km long with one intermediate sprint and a Category 1 summit finish (13 km climb). General classification teams focused on the final climb, expecting another shake-up in the standings.

Early on, riders from TREK, Movistar Team, EF Education-EasyPost, and INEOS Grenadiers launched a long-range break. Bahrain-Victorious led the chase initially, but TREK took over in the final 30 km, criticizing their inefficiency.

During the stage, VINGEGAARD Jonas experienced a mechanical issue. His team quickly provided a spare bike, helping him return to the peloton.

With 20 km left, the break was caught. TREK tried an early mountain train to disrupt rivals and set up Giulio Ciccone, but VISMA took over. The red jersey group struggled, and the UAE riders were left isolated.

VINGEGAARD Jonas attacked, and although Giulio Ciccone and João Almeida attempted to follow, the difference in strength was clear. They could only watch Jonas ride away to victory.