After 2025 Vuelta hat trick Vingegaard has one hand on the trophy

The 80th Vuelta a España’s final GC day ended on HC-rated Bola del Mundo, where Jonas Vingegaard triumphed to resist the efforts of João Almeida to nick the red jersey. Vingegaard’s hat trick of stage wins translates into one hand on the trophy with only Madrid to come. The most significant change of the day was Matthew Riccitello grabbing the young rider’s white jersey from Giulio Pellizarri.

The GC Situation

Vingegaard was 44 seconds up on Almeida, Tom Pidcock held the final podium spot by 39 seconds over Jai Hindley, Pellizarri had a 58-second advantage over Riccitello for the white jersey and Jay Vine had a 20-point lead over Vingegaard in the KOM competition.

1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Visma-Lease a Bike) 68:57:44
2) João Almeida (Portugal/UAE-Emirates) +0:44
3) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/Q36.5) +2:43
4) Jai Hindley (Australia/Red Bull) +3:22

The Course

Saturday’s Bola del Mundo summit finish is almost as taxing as the Angliru at 12.6 km of 8.6 percent. Cat. 1 Puerto de Navacerrada might be the setting for a decisive attack.

Two early Cat. 3’s, Alto de La Escondida and Puerto de la Paradilla, would sort out the day’s breakaway. The escape group was immense, with Jack Haig first over Escondida and Joel Nicolau scoring maximum KOM points on Paradilla and Cat. 2 Alto del León. By the Nevacerrada, the break’s gap was 1:30.

Red Bull took over from UAE-Emirates and whipped up the peloton’s pace on the Nevacerrada, thinning out the numbers. The breakaway fragmented, Lidl-Trek trying to set up their man Giulio Ciccone for the win. Mikel Landa and Egan Bernal, who fought it out for the win on Tuesday, were also in the leading group. Jardi van der Lee led a dozen over the crest a minute ahead of the red jersey group.

With Landa-Bernal-Ciccone up the road, a protest stopped the race. Landa slipped through and led thereafter. When the red jersey group squeezed through, a Movistar rider was stopped by a protester and flung off an arm.

Bola del Mundo

Landa started the final climb of the 2025 edition 15 seconds before Bernal, Ciccone and Bruno Armirail, the peloton at +1:15. Soon Landa was reunited with his breakmates but Ciccone almost immediately surged away. Again Landa came back to him. UAE-Emirates continued to pace the peloton.