CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious continues a packed week of racing with the La Vuelta a Espana.
The third and final Grand Tour of the season gets underway on Saturday, and it comes with two other stage races underway in Germany and the Benelux, promising a full weekend for the kingdom’s leading professional cycling outfit.
For the first time in its 90-year history, La Vuelta will start in Italy. After previous starts in France, the Netherlands and Belgium, this will be the sixth time the Spanish Grand Tour begins on foreign soil.
From Turin to Madrid, the three weeks between Saturday and September 14 will see the peloton cover 3,151 kilometres across four countries, including Italy, France, Andorra, and Spain, across 21 stages, with nearly 55,000 metres of elevation gain and 10 summit finishes.
The route is especially suited to climbers, with only four flat stages, one of which ends in an uphill finish. Paying homage to tradition, this 80th edition will feature legendary passes such as Morredero, Cerler, and Valdezcaray, as well as the return of the Angliru – considered one of the toughest climbs in the world – midway through the race. The showdown will come on the penultimate day atop the Bola del Mundo, returning to La Vuelta for the first time since 2012.
Test
The first major mountain stage is in Andorra, following the transfer to Spain and a team time trial (TTT) in Figueres on stage five. However, by then, the climbing legs will already have been tested. After the flat opener (Torino, Reggia di Venaria to Novara, 186.1km), stage two (Alba to Limone Piemonte, 159.6km) features an uphill finish (5.4 per cent average gradient over 7.6km), and will be an early target for Bahrain Victorious.
The team’s lead sports director Franco Pellizotti explains: “We see in this stage an opportunity to strike immediately: to try to take a victory and wear the red jersey as well.”
Bahrain Victorious’ leader for La Vuelta 2025 is Antonio Tiberi, making his fourth appearance at the race. The 24-year-old Italian climber is eager to deliver his best after being forced to abandon last year due to heatstroke on stage nine, when he was riding strongly, wearing the best young rider’s jersey, and fighting for the general classification (GC) podium.
“I will have the same aim as at the Giro d’Italia: to target the final podium,” explains Tiberi, who saw his Italian ambitions derailed by a crash. “The whole team believes in me, and that gives me a lot of confidence. I also trust my teammates, with whom I’ve worked very well in preparation for this race. We are here with a solid squad.
“The course suits me better this time, with more long climbs rather than the short, steep ones of the past – those longer ascents suit me more. I’m focused on the GC, so I don’t have a specific stage where I want to go for the win. I will always be ready and attentive. “If on a mountain stage I feel good and there’s an opportunity, I will try to attack and go for a personal result.”
With stage three (San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres, 134.6km) also on Italian soil, offering opportunities for breakaways or sprinters on a not-so-flat finale, stage four (Susa to Voiron, 192km) will take the riders into France through the Alps, with the Col de Montgenèvre and Col du Lautaret to be tackled 70km from the finish.
Pellizotti added: “After that stage, riders will fly to Spain, where no rest day awaits them. Instead, one of the main dangers on the road to Madrid is scheduled: the TTT (Figueres to Figueres, 20km).”
If the TTT reshapes the GC, climbers will quickly have the chance to regain ground with the ‘Pyrenees days’. Stage six (Olot to Pal, Andorra, 170km) culminates with a category one summit finish, while stage seven (Andorra la Vella to Cerler, Huesca La Magia, 187km) is the most mountainous of this edition, with over 4,400 metres of climbing across four major ascents.“
The day after (stage eight, Monzon Templario to Zaragoza, 187km) is for the sprinters, but I see it as another day to watch for GC riders because of potential echelons,” Pellizotti says.
Stage nine (Alfaro to Estacion de Esqui de Valdezcaray, 195km) offers a tough challenge before the first rest day in Pamplona, with more than 3,200m of climbing and an uphill finish, though only one categorised climb is on the route.
The second week resumes with stage 10 (Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva to El Ferial Larra Belagua, 168km) in the Navarre region, where an easy start leads into a decisive category one climb on the French-Spanish border.
“Our attention will be drawn to stage 11 (Bilbao to Bilbao, 167km),” said Pellizotti. “With its typical Basque profile – seven short but punchy climbs – it’s one of the most dangerous stages for GC riders, ending with a technical descent and fast run-in. The aim is to arrive in good spirits and form for the demanding days to follow.”
Stage 12 (Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna, 143km) features two early climbs but a flat finish that may suit attackers. Stage 13 (Cabezon de la Sal to L’Angliru, 202km), on the third Friday, will be decisive. The Angliru (12.5km at over 10 per cent average, with ramps of 23.5 per cent in the final three km) returns after a year’s absence, concluding the race’s longest stage.
Two other category one climbs – Alto de Mozqueta and Alto de Cordal – precede it. In 2023, Bahrain Victorious’ Santiago Buitrago finished eighth on the Angliru. “It’s the hardest climb I’ve done in my career,” he said.
“You climb it at nine to 10kmph, and the last kilometre never ends. I was lucky to stay with the front riders then. “This year, I’d like to do better. It depends how we arrive there and what the team’s goals are. I recovered well after the Tour de France and my injuries, so I’m ready. The course suits climbers, and there are stages I’ve marked – like Andorra, close to home, and mythical climbs like Angliru and Bola del Mundo. Winning there would be unforgettable.”
Stage 14 (Aviles to Alto de la Farrapona, 135km) is short but demanding with multiple climbs and an uphill finish. Stage 15 (A Veiga/Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos, 167km) may favour breakaways before the second rest day in Pontevedra.
“The course offers multiple opportunities for success, while keeping an eye on the GC,” Pellizotti continues. “Buitrago will have many chances in the mountains. (Damiano) Caruso, our road captain, is in top shape; Jack Haig, a former podium finisher, knows this terrain well; and Torstein Traen comes from a strong showing in Burgos.
“With the GC our priority, we’ll also remain open to stage opportunities. Nicolo Buratti will contest sprints, while other Grand Tour debutants Mathijs Paasschens and Roman Ermakov will provide crucial support and seek breakaways. Overall, we have a well-balanced squad to fight on every terrain.”
The final week begins with stage 16 (Poio to Mos.Castro de Herville, 172km), with four climbs and a summit finish, followed by another important day in the mountains, 137km from O Barco de Valdeorras to Alto de El Morredero, which ends in another challenging ascent.
Stage 18 is the second individual time trial (ITT) (Valladolid to Valladolid, 26km), a flat course favouring specialists against the clock. It could be decisive for the GC, especially for pure climbers weaker in the discipline.
Similar
Tiberi on the ITT course: “It is very similar to the 2023 edition, and it suits me well. It’s very fast and quite long, which I like. I will try to gain as much time as possible on my GC rivals. Since it comes in the last week, we have to consider the factor of accumulated fatigue – everybody will be tired, and that can make an even bigger difference.”
Before the finale in Madrid (stage 21, Alalpardo to Madrid, 101km), sprinters may find an opportunity on stage 19 (Rueda to Guijuelo, 159km), while the GC battle will likely rage on stage 20 (Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo, 156km). Featuring a series of climbs leading to the final ascent of Bola del Mundo (2,200m), its last 3.2km average 12.2 per cent – likely the ultimate judge of who will be crowned winner of La Vuelta 2025.
The 80th edition of cycling’s third Grand Tour always offers opportunities for the GC riders to end the season on a high, and 2025 is no exception. With names like Jonas Vingegaard, Joao Almeida, and Mads Pedersen on the startlist, alongside Bahrain Victorious’ Tiberi, Buitrago, Haig, Caruso et al, this promises to be one of the most hotly contested Vueltas in recent memory.
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