Cycling
All you need to know about La Vuelta 2025
The final Grand Tour of the year is almost upon us and features an extremely competitive field that's full of potential surprises. We break it all down for you right here.
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La Vuelta is the third and final Grand Tour of the season and this year’s race will see some of the world’s best riders battling it out on the roads of Italy, France, Andorra and Spain in a three-week contest to clinch the general classification leader’s red jersey.
The youngest of the three Grand Tours – 2025 marks its 80th edition and the 90th anniversary of its first race in 1935 – it was initially hosted in April and May before it moved to its current late-season schedule in 1995 to avoid clashes with the Giro d’Italia. Today, as well as it being one of cycling’s big three, many use it as preparation for the UCI Road World Championships, while those who have already competed at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France can try and make amends after disappointing early season displays.
Whoever’s on the startlist, the racing is always on the limit from the off as the peloton battle each other, the climb-heavy terrain and some extremely testing weather conditions, but this year’s rider line-up guarantees an intriguing tussle for the final Grand Tour of 2025.
Thee three key jerseys you need to know in La Vuelta
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
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Key facts on the Vuelta 2025
The 80th edition of La Vuelta starts in Italy on August 23 for the first time in its history. After departing from Turin, the course includes four days of racing in the country’s north-western corner before crossing the French border and the Alps on stage 4 to finish in Voiron. The peloton will then transfer to Spain for stage 5’s team time trial [TTT], but it’s not long before the race takes in its fourth country, with stages 6 and 7 finishing and starting in Andorra, respectively. The remainder of the race takes place Spain’s northern regions before its final four stages head to its centre and the finalé in the capital, Madrid, on September 14.
It will feature 21 stages, including a team trial (stage 5) and an individual time trial [ITT] (stage 18), and riders will get two rest days after stages 9 and 15. Along the way, the record-breaking 23 team, 184-rider peloton will face 1,975 miles of racing and 54,588m of elevation gain between the Grand Depart in Turin and finish line in Madrid, which makes it the shortest, albeit the hilliest, Grand Tour of 2025.
In addition to the red jersey for the overall general classification leader, there are three more secondary contests in play throughout the three-week race – the sprint, king of the mountains and youth competitions. Like at the Tour de France, the leaders of each competition wear a green, polka dot (albeit blue and white) and white jersey, respectively.
The flat stages are notoriously hot at La Vuelta
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
There are plenty of famously punishing, steep climbs as well
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
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The course of the Vuelta 2025
La Vuelta 2025 course overview:
- 4x flat
- 8x hilly
- 7x mountain
- 1x TTT
- 1x ITT
Stages
- Stage 1: Saturday, August 23, Turin, Italy to Novara, Italy – 200km – flat
- Stage 2: Sunday, August 24, Alba, Italy to Puerto Limone, Italy – 157km – flat with mountain finish
- Stage 3: Monday, August 25, San Maurizio Canavese, Italy to Ceres, Italy – 139km – hilly
- Stage 4: Tuesday, August 26, Susa, Italy to Voiron, France – 192km – hilly
- Stage 5: Wednesday, August 27, Figures to Figures – 20km – Team Time Trial
- Stage 6: Thursday, August 28, Oloy to Pal, Andorra – 170km – mountain
- Stage 7: Friday, August 29, Andorra la Vella, Andorra to Cerler. Huesca La Magia – 187km – mountain
- Stage 8: Saturday, August 30, Monzón Templario to Zaragoza – 187km – flat
- Stage 9: Sunday, August 31, Alfaro to Estación de Esquí de Valdezcaray – 195km – hilly
- Rest day: Monday, September 1
- Stage 10: Tuesday, September 2, Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva to El Ferial Larra Belagua – 168km – hilly
- Stage 11: Wednesday, September 3, Bilbao to Bilbao – 167km – hilly
- Stage 12: Thursday, September 4, Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna – 143km – hilly
- Stage 13: Friday, September 5, Cabezón de la Sal to L’Angliru – 202km – mountain
- Stage 14: Saturday, September 6, Avilés to Alto de la Farrapona – 135km – mountain
- Stage 15: Sunday, September 7, A Viega/Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos – 167km – hilly
- Rest day: Monday, September 8
- Stage 16: Tuesday, September 9, Poio to Mos. Castro de Herville – 172km – hilly
- Stage 17: Wednesday, September 10, O Barco de Valdeorras to Alto de El Morredero – 137km – mountain
- Stage 18: Thursday, September 11, Valladolid to Valladolid – 26km – Individual Time Trial
- Stage 19: Friday, September 12, Rueda to Guijuelo – 159km – flat
- Stage 20: Saturday, September 13, Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo. Puerto de Navacerrada – 156km – mountain
- Stage 21: Sunday, September 14, Alalpardo to Madrid – 101km – flat
Stunning views come with the territory
© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool
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The riders of the Vuelta 2025
Who are the favorites? Who's missing? Who are the returning heroes?
The 2025 edition of La Vuelta’s start list should make for an incredibly competitive general classification contest, in part because of who won’t be lining up at the Turin Grand Depart.
Jai Hindley is Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe's big hope in Spain
© RCS Sports & Events/Red Bull Content Pool
Despite suggesting he was targetting a Tour-La Vuelta double, 2025 Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has decided to skip the Spanish Grand Tour in favour of focusing on defending his rainbow jersey at late-September’s UCI Road World Championships in Rwanada and the season’s final one-day Monument, Il Lombardia. Compatriot, record-equalling four-time La Vuelta winner and reigning red jersey holder Primož Roglič is also absent having raced the Giro and Tour de France already this year, while his Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team-mate, Tour podium finisher and white jersey winner Florian Lipowitz is signing off his season with two races in Canada and the Italian one-day classic.
The startlist doesn’t lack star power though, with two former winners (Sepp Kuss and Nairo Quintana) not even among the favourites. The focus will fall on Jonas Vingegaard and whether the Dane can claim a first red jersey with no Pogačar to contend with. The two-time Tour de France winner will have Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson as key domestiques but won’t have it easy, with Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates - XRG team-mate João Almeida supported by Juan Ayuso – both of whom have Grand Tour-winning ambitions.
Tom Pidcock will be hunting Spanish stage wins
© Charly López/Red Bull Content Pool
Elsewhere, Mikel Landa is likely to be the home favourite, while other riders with real firepower include Grand Tour winners Egan Bernal, Jai Hindley and Richard Caparaz, and a new generation of talent led by the likes of Tom Pidcock and Giulio Pellizzari.
Although there are slim pickings for the peloton’s fast men, Giro d’Italia purple jersey winner Mads Pedersen is the nailed-on favourite for La Vuelta’s sprint classification, while the polka dot and white jerseys are likely to come from the general classification favourites – with Ayuso and Pellizzari both eligible for the latter.
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