2025 Vuelta a Espana

Jeremy McCreary

Jeremy McCreary

Bought it anyway
Region
USA
City
Carlsbad, CA
Just a reminder that the Vuelta a Espana, the 3rd and final Grand Tour of the year, will start on August 23.

Peacock will be streaming it live in the US. Wish ITV were covering it, but I guess they're kaput now. @Rás Cnoic ?

Just read that Pogacar will be sitting this one out, but Almeida will be back from his TdF injuries as UAE team co-leader with Ayuso. Vingegaard will be vying for his first Vuelta win.

Many top riders had surprisingly poor showings in the TdF, I believe due to viral illness. They'll be looking to prove it was a fluke. Should be good watching.
 
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Jeremy McCreary said:
Many top riders had surprisingly poor showings in the TdF, I believe due to viral illness. They'll be looking to prove it was a fluke. Should be good watching.
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This alone is reason enough to watch it. I haven't checked the UCI roster but I bet MVDP and WVA sit it out as well, as CX season is underway.
 
I'm surprised Pogacar is skipping the Vuelta - isn't it about the only major race he hasn't won in the last 2 years?

On a separate note - have you all seen Matthew Brennan this year? He's going to be a force in couple years if he stays on this trajectory. He won stage 5 in Poland on Friday with a long sprint for the 9th win of his rookie season. Skip to 4:15 for the finish of the >200km hilly stage.

 
BlackHand said:
I'm surprised Pogacar is skipping the Vuelta - isn't it about the only major race he hasn't won in the last 2 years?

On a separate note - have you all seen Matthew Brennan this year? He's going to be a force in couple years if he stays on this trajectory. He won stage 5 in Poland on Friday with a long sprint for the 9th win of his rookie season. Skip to 4:15 for the finish of the >200km hilly stage.

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Very impressive performance, and only 20 years old!. I like that announcer's style, too. Vast improvement over some of TNT's other callers.
 
I think Pogi is becoming a bit bored. This season has been so incredibly successful, he doesn’t need this so will sit it out. He’s already said he has thought about retirement- let’s hope after 2 more successful TdF’s!
what’s everyone’s pick for 2nd and 3rd here? (Vingogo obviously wins)!
Also, every stage is free to view live on Cycling Today / Cycling Stream online. They use Eurosport’s coverage (which is usually in fact Spain’s national RTVE feed, which starts notoriously late into the stage). There’s a fun live chat for watchers too which is good on the slow sprinters days.
 
Yako said:
what’s everyone’s pick for 2nd and 3rd here? (Vingogo obviously wins)!
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Everyone's talking about the A-team — Almeida and Ayuso — and for good reason.

I know just enough to be dangerous, but I wonder about Carapaz. Very aggressive, strong climber, and probably itching to make a make a mark after missing the TdF to thrombophlebitis — which might be an easier recovery than Almeida faced after his TdF crash.

Carapaz and Gee withdrew.
 
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Yako said:
I think Pogi is becoming a bit bored. This season has been so incredibly successful, he doesn’t need this so will sit it out. He’s already said he has thought about retirement- let’s hope after 2 more successful TdF’s!
what’s everyone’s pick for 2nd and 3rd here? (Vingogo obviously wins)!
Also, every stage is free to view live on Cycling Today / Cycling Stream online. They use Eurosport’s coverage (which is usually in fact Spain’s national RTVE feed, which starts notoriously late into the stage). There’s a fun live chat for watchers too which is good on the slow sprinters days.
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When you race at a high level, amateur or pro, burnout is real. Talking about retirement is a sign of it. Sitting out the Vuelta, cashing out on winner determined criteriums, focusing on Worlds, and maybe Lombardia will be a good rest for his brain. I'm happy to see him sit this one out.

I would never say Vingegaard obviously wins. Anything can happen. I'm also not convinced that his head is in the right place this year after the crash.

Odds-on favorites - Vingegaard, Bernal, Almeida
Riders to watch - O'Connor, Ayuso, Kuss (if Jonas can't cut it)
Dark horses - Landa, Hindley, Castrillo
 
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When you look at Pogi's season leading up to the TdF — with all those long-distance solo wins — it was a wonder he could still stand. Definitely showed a little fatigue toward the end of the TdF, but he definitely earned it and still won the GC handily.

Besides, nothing wrong with his immediate goal: Enjoying his Riviera home while summer lasts! Earned that, too.
 
Haven't had a chance to properly check out this years riders yet though I see the stages are all in Northern Spain/Basque Country/Catalonia. The furthest south they go is Madrid! I wonder if it's the organisers worry about hot weather/wild fires? Spain is being hit really hard this summer.

I'll do my homework and see if anyone jumps out. Jonas is favourite obviously but it's still a 3 week tour where anything can happen.

Thanks for that link Yako - ongoing boycott of TNT/Discovery here!
 
Also, I mentioned it before, but PCS (Pro Cycling Stats) is a fantastic website & resource. The homepage lists each pro race running today and the results as they come in. Below that is a list of upcoming races and you can dig deeper seeing the stats for every rider and team and history of wins etc. The link I've picked below opens on the Vuelta page and here you can see each team's starting line up (it'll fluctuate if riders drop out) and also you can check through each stage & see the parcours. I find it invaluable & all free.

Startlist for Vuelta a España 2025

Competing teams and riders for Vuelta a España 2025. Top competitors are Mads Pedersen, João Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard.
www.procyclingstats.com www.procyclingstats.com
 
Have never bet on any sport. But under the bad influence of my sports-betting neighbor, and with his help, put down very small bets on O'Connor and Ciccone to make the Vuelta podium.

Having no expectation of winning money, I view the total bet — which wouldn't even buy another copy of my bottle cage — as nothing more than a viewing excitement enhancement fee. If nothing else, it will be a good reason to pay more attention to 2 promising riders previously off my radar screen.
 
BlackHand said:
On a separate note - have you all seen Matthew Brennan this year?
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Thanks for pointing him out! Definely one to watch.

He just squeaked out a sprint win in Stage 2 of the 2025 Deutschland Tour and came very close in the 3.5 km prologue TT. A very humble young man who seems to be having a hard time believing his own success.
 
Peacock live coverage is off to an inauspicious start. Woke up at 0600, came in at ~116 km to go, just before the 1st (?) KOM sprint. But there was no camera at the line and no word on who won it. A minute later, Peacock went down. Still down nearly an hour later.

20250823_065615.jpg

Oh well, at least I have this nice AI emotional support kitty to stare at.
 
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BlackHand said:
Hmm, it didn't go down where I am. Lot's of commercial breaks as it got closer to the end.
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The last 50 km went smoothly, both racing- and broadcasting-wise. We were having a very rare morning thunderstorm when Peacock went dead. Nothing compared to a proper Colorado thunderstorm and little rain, so I doubt that was the cause.

Good to see Philipsen back in form after his nasty TdF crash in Stage 3. Gotta think his broken clavicle's still painful 5 weeks later, but maybe they stabilized it with some hardware.

What the heck happenened to Pedersen?? He was everyone's pre-race favorite for the green jersey. Now he's way behind.
 
Philipsen's injury was described as a displaced fracture, so I'm sure he's got pins or plates in there now. It's crazy how fast these athletes can recover.

Jonas Abrahamsen started the TdF 17 days after breaking his collarbone and having it repaired surgically. (And won stage 11!).

Pedersen didn't get any help from his team at the end and just looked to be in a bad position coming out of the last bend. He probably cost himself a few points by not even sprinting, but when he saw philipsen up ahead with 2 leadout men I'm sure he could see the writing on the wall.
 
BlackHand said:
Pedersen didn't get any help from his team at the end and just looked to be in a bad position coming out of the last bend. He probably cost himself a few points by not even sprinting, but when he saw philipsen up ahead with 2 leadout men I'm sure he could see the writing on the wall.
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Several highlight reels and one full replay later, still haven't seen Pedersen's final mintes in Stage 1. Would love to see how that failure to position evolved.
 
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