Vuelta a España 2025
23.08-14.09
Jonas Vingegaard starts the 2025 Vuelta a España as the clear favourite for the red jersey, leading a powerful Visma | Lease a Bike squad. His main challengers include home hope Juan Ayuso and teammate João Almeida of UAE Team Emirates-XRG and in-form Austrian Felix Gall. The race begins on August 23 in Turin and covers 3,151 kilometres with nearly 54,000 metres of climbing before finishing in Madrid on September 14. The route features ten summit finishes, including the brutal L’Angliru and Bola del Mundo, alongside decisive time trials and punchy Basque climbs
The Vuelta 2025 route
The 2025 Vuelta a España runs from August 23 in Turin to September 14 in Madrid, covering 3,151 kilometres and nearly 54,000 metres of climbing. With 11 summit finishes, including the legendary L’Angliru and Bola del Mundo, the route is built for pure climbers.
Week one already features a summit finish in Andorra, while the Basque stages promise short, explosive climbs. Two time trials - a team test in Figueres and an individual in Valladolid - could play a key role in the GC. Flat stages are rare, giving sprinters limited opportunities. Relentless climbing and unpredictable terrain set the stage for late-race drama.
The contenders
Jonas Vingegaard starts the 2025 Vuelta a España as the clear favourite for the red jersey, leading a powerful Visma | Lease a Bike squad with Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson and Victor Campenaerts. His main challengers are UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo Juan Ayuso and João Almeida, with Ayuso targeting a home Grand Tour podium and Almeida hoping to bounce back from his Tour crash.
Felix Gall arrives in form after fifth at the Tour, adding further depth to the list of contenders. The Dane’s dominance in the mountains makes him the man to beat, but the Vuelta’s history of surprises means the race is far from decided. One bad day could change everything.
The favourites for the other classifications
Beyond the GC favourites, there is of course much more at stake in this year’s Vuelta a España. Think of the points classification, mountain classification and best young rider. Read our previews for these classifications:
We have also highlighted the dark horses to watch and the must-picks for your Fantasy team.
Prize money
The 2025 Vuelta a España has a total prize pool of €1.1 million, less than half of that of the Tour de France. The general classification winner takes home €150,000, while each stage victory is worth €11,000.
In addition, there are rewards for the points jersey (€11,000), mountains jersey (€13,000), and youth jersey (€11,000), as well as daily bonuses for jersey wearers and team classifications. Combativity is also recognised, with €200 awarded to the most aggressive rider each day and €3,000 for the overall prize in Madrid.
From stage wins to jersey battles and team efforts, the Vuelta’s prize money is spread widely across the race, making the €1.1 million purse one of the sport’s most diverse.
