Many books could be written about the last week of the 2025 Vuelta a España, but unfortunately none of them would be sports-related. Plagued by protests that jeopardized the safety of the riders, the organizers were forced to shorten two important stages for the GC battle and they cancelled the final one, ending the 80th edition with a complete fiasco instead of a fiesta. The cyclists, innocent people caught in the middle of a battle bigger than anything Angliru or Bola del Mundo could offer, did their job honourably until it was no longer possible. The best of them was Jonas Vingegaard who, with his triumph on Bola del Mundo, saved both his reputation as a big champion and as much as he could of this turbulent race.
The cursed week of La Vuelta started with a beautifully designed stage in Galicia, the only one of its kind in this edition where the organizers seemed to want the GC favourites to fight each other only during the last 20 minutes of the final climbs. Unfortunately for them, even this stage was ruined as the only ambush of the day didn't come from Almeida or Vingegaard but from protesters who blocked the road. The stage ended prematurely with a 2-man sprint in an anonymous spot, eight kilometers before the finish gate with only the jury as witness of Egan Bernal's first victory outside of Colombia since 2021 Giro d'Italia. Even though he couldn't celebrate it properly and his victory photo won't be much of a proof if he will have to convince his grandchildren that he won that day, it was one of the most emotional moments of this Vuelta. Unlike in Bilbao, at least we had a stage winner. And cycling won.
The next day went better for the organizers, and the stage to Alto de El Morredero wasn't altered in any way by human factors. The only hindrance was the wind which blew in the face of the cyclists for the most part of the climb and blocked any offensive initiative by Almeida or Vingegaard. The young Italian Giulio Pellizzari took advantage of this situation and scored his first ever professional victory, at the top of this burned mountain which could have been the perfect set for a post-apocalyptic movie. Unlike in 1997 and 2006, La Vuelta used a different, new road (8.4 km long with an average gradient of 9.7%) and Pellizzari climbed it in 28 minutes 38 seconds, a solid performance but nothing to write home about.
The final showdown was set for Bola del Mundo, and with only 44 seconds separating Almeida from Vingegaard, there was still some interest left in the race. Once again, the stage design was catastrophic, crushing any ideas of long-range attacks with the top of penultimate climb, Puerto de Navacerrada coming with 50 kilometers until the finish. Maybe thinking that the last impression is the lasting impression, the UAE Team Emirates sports directors convinced all their riders to race as a team for one day and give everything for Joao Almeida's final assault. Both Juan Ayuso and Jay Vine completed their task they were given and at the foot of the final climb, their team leader still had a chance to at least win the stage. Kilometer after kilometer, Joao's attack didn't come, which meant he no longer had the legs he had on Angliru. Once they passed the top of Navacerrada on the steep part of Bola del Mundo, Almeida accelerated but without causing any damage to the other GC contenders, let alone Vingegaard. It was the Red Jersey himself who launched the winning attack with one kilometer to go, taking a brilliant third stage victory in this Vuelta and ending any discussion about who was the strongest rider of this edition. Just like Jonas, the UAE sports directors probably also breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Joao didn't lose this race due to their strategy of chasing stage wins but simply because Vingegaard was better. Just like on the day of Valdezcaray, Vingegaard set a new climbing record on Bola del Mundo: 33 minutes 10 seconds, improving by almost two minutes the benchmarks of Ezequiel Mosquera and Joaquim Rodriguez.
In the end, La Vuelta was won by the rider everyone expected, but it wasn't in the ultra-dominant fashion we thought he would show. Better for cycling. In terms of climbing performances, Jonas Vingegaard didn't reach his best level in the Spanish mountains, allegedly due to being sick for a good part of the race. His most impressive feat was the attack on Valdezcaray, which probably won him the Vuelta, followed by his climbing record-equaling ride on Angliru alongside Joao Almeida. The Portuguese achieved his best-ever result in a Grand Tour and proved he's the favourite to win one if Pogacar and Vingegaard do not start. The biggest surprise of this Vuelta was third place, Tom Pidcock, who showed he has the necessary engine to target a Grand Tour victory. His talent can't be doubted, but we'll have to see if he can repeat this result in a Grand Tour with proper multi-mountain stages; this route was perfect for him. Hopefully, when that happens again, it won't be Tom's mom who has to arrange the podium ceremony, and the organizers will be able to do that in front of peaceful crowds...
Course Details: 10.7 km at 8,9% average gradient
33:10 - Jonas Vingegaard (19.36 km/h)🏆
35:05 - Joaquim Rodriguez (18.30 km/h)
36:36 - Denis Menchov (17.54 km/h)
35:00 - Ezequiel Mosquera (18.34 km/h)
