Jonas Vingegaard won the 2025 Vuelta a España ahead of João Almeida and Tom Pidcock. The Danish rider sealed his first Vuelta title with a decisive victory on Bola del Mundo before the final stage in Madrid was shortened due to protests.
Final general classification
| Position | Rider | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Winner |
| 2 | João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | +1:16 |
| 3 | Tom Pidcock | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | +3:11 |
Vingegaard became the first Danish rider to win the Vuelta a España. The victory added a third different Grand Tour triumph to a career that already included Tour de France victories in 2022 and 2023.
Almeida finished second after remaining Vingegaard’s main challenger through the decisive mountain stages. Pidcock completed the podium in third and achieved the best Grand Tour general-classification result of his career.
Jersey and classification winners
Pedersen’s points victory was particularly notable. He became only the second rider to win the points classification at both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta in the same season, following Eddy Merckx in 1973.
How Jonas Vingegaard won the 2025 Vuelta
Vingegaard did not dominate every decisive day, but he was the most consistent general-classification rider across the three weeks.
He repeatedly defended the red jersey under pressure from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and João Almeida, while Visma | Lease a Bike controlled many of the race’s most important mountain stages.
The battle tightened late in the race, particularly after Almeida won on L’Angliru and then gained more time during the Valladolid time trial.
But when the race reached its final major mountain test on Stage 20, Vingegaard produced the decisive attack.
Stage 13: Almeida defeats Vingegaard on L’Angliru
João Almeida wins one of the race’s defining mountain stages
Almeida produced one of his strongest performances of the race on the legendary L’Angliru climb.
He set the pace through the final kilometres and dropped every rival except Vingegaard. Almeida then won the stage, while Vingegaard finished second and retained the overall lead.
The result confirmed that Almeida was the only rider capable of consistently challenging Vingegaard in the final phase of the race.
Stage 18: Ganna wins the time trial as Almeida gains ten seconds
Filippo Ganna wins, but the GC battle tightens again
Filippo Ganna won the shortened 12.2 km individual time trial in Valladolid, beating Jay Vine by less than one second.
More important for the overall race, Almeida finished ahead of Vingegaard and gained ten seconds on the red jersey.
Vingegaard’s advantage was reduced to just 40 seconds with three stages remaining, leaving the race open ahead of Bola del Mundo.
Stage 20: Bola del Mundo decides the Vuelta
Vingegaard attacks late and seals the overall victory
The final major mountain stage delivered the decisive moment of La Vuelta 2025.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe tried to put Vingegaard under pressure on the final ascent, with Almeida setting the pace and Jai Hindley attacking inside the final three kilometres.
Vingegaard responded and then launched his own move with around 1.2 km remaining. He immediately opened a gap and rode alone to the stage victory.
Sepp Kuss finished second, while Hindley took third. Pidcock held on to his third place in the general classification.
Tom Pidcock takes a breakthrough Grand Tour podium
Tom Pidcock’s third place was one of the major stories of the race.
Known primarily for his success across road racing, mountain bike and cyclocross, Pidcock proved that he could also compete over three weeks for a Grand Tour general-classification podium.
He survived repeated attacks from Jai Hindley and the other GC contenders and retained third place through the final mountain stage.
The result made him the first Olympic mountain bike champion to finish on a Grand Tour general-classification podium.
Stage 21: the Madrid finale is shortened
No normal finish after protests in the Spanish capital
The final stage did not end in the usual way.
After the peloton reached Madrid, protesters entered the course and the race was stopped early for rider safety.
The stage was shortened, there was no normal finish-line result and no official podium ceremony took place in Madrid.
The unusual ending did not change the final general classification. Vingegaard was confirmed as winner of the 80th edition of the Vuelta a España.
What defined the 2025 Vuelta a España?
The 2025 edition was ultimately shaped by the duel between Vingegaard and Almeida. Almeida repeatedly challenged the Dane in the mountains and time trial, but Vingegaard answered at the most important moment on Bola del Mundo.
Pidcock’s podium added another significant storyline, while Pedersen and Vine secured the points and mountains classifications respectively.
The race was also affected more than once by protests. Stage 11 in Bilbao ended without a stage winner, with times taken three kilometres before the intended finish, and the final stage in Madrid was stopped early.