La Vuelta a España stage 2 preview - Will Vingegaard make his move on the first summit finish?

After stage 1 presented an opportunity for the sprinters to shine, stage 2 reveals itself as a slow burner - flat for the majority, but with a single climb that serves as a summit finish. It is a stage that is typical of the Vuelta a España, and it's equally unsurprisingly to see this type of profile on the second day of racing.

With a summit finish on the horizon, the stage has the potential to shake up the general classification early on. Equally, considering it's only stage 2, and the fact that the majority of the stage is flat, there will be many fresh legs fighting for position towards the foot of the final climb, meaning that there will be many riders fancying their chances.

The climb is certainly long enough, 9.8km in total, to make a difference, but the average gradient of 5.1% may not be difficult enough for the top-level climbers to completely break their opponents. The final few kilometres are the toughest with gradients reaching 10% and a small group battle seems the most likely scenario in the finale of stage 2.

Key information:

• Date: Sunday, 24 August
• Start: 13:35
• Estimated Finish: 17:21
• Stage type: Flat. Uphill finish
• Stage length: 159.6km
• Elevation gain: 1,884

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Stage 2 begins in the Italian town of Alba in the Province of Cuneo, which is home to the Monferrato Unesco World Heritage Site. Alba has been a host town of a Grand Tour stage on two occasions, at the Giro d'Italia. 

Belgian rider Guido Reybrouck was victorious in a sprint of four riders when stage 3 of the 1968 Giro d'Italia finished in Alba. Since then, Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi claimed the opening stage of the 2003 Giro, which finished in the town of Alba, to take the maglia rosa. 

The design of the route is set to see the key action unfold on the slopes of the category 2 climb to Limone Piemonte. 9.8km at 5.1% doesn't tell the full story. It's a climb that mirrors the stage within which it is, a slow burner. 

The opening couple of kilometres are shallow before reaching gradients of around 5-6% There's a brief plateau section around 4km from the summit, before the gradients really kick into gear. 

It's the final two kilometres where the climb earns its category 2 status as the steepness ramps up with gradients reaching 10% inside the final kilometre.

Due to the nature of the climb, the stage is most likely to be won inside the closing two kilometres, and this may stall the action on the lower slopes, beyond some chanceful early attacks. 

This is where the front group should start to whittle down, and it will be a case of whether anyone is strong and willing enough to forge clear, or it could come down to a small group sprint for the stage win and race leadership.

Italian rider Stefano Garzelli was the winner from a reduced group on stage 5 of the 2002 Giro d'Italia atop Limone Piemonte, before being sent home following a positive doping test.

Key points 

• Intermediate Sprint at Busca - 92.6km to go
• Limone Piemonte | Category 2 - 9.8km at 5.1% - 9.8km to go

When the road goes uphill, naturally, the chances of success for Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) increase. It's a case of whether the Dane will keep his powder dry or try an attack on the steepest gradients on only the second of twenty-one stages.

This season has revealed a punchier and perhaps more combative side to Vingegaard beyond the high mountains, which was on full display on the opening stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné and the opening week of the Tour de France. This ability may mean that Vingegaard could play the stage conservatively and still be in contention for the stage victory in a small group sprint. 

Vingegaard should be well supported in the finale with the likes of Matteo Jorgenson,Sepp Kuss, Wilco Kelderman and Ben Tulett, who can control the tempo on the climb and keep any ambitious attackers in check.

Perhaps Vingegaard will look at Tadej Pogačar's effort on stage 2 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, where the Slovenian stormed to victory on the Oropa climb, which is quite similar to the Limone Piemonte climb. Pogačar took the pink jersey at the end of the stage and refused to relinquish it for the rest of the race. It's not out of the question that Vingegaard could do something similar at this Vuelta.

It remains to be seen who will prevail as the main leader of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad, with João Almeida and Juan Ayuso both capable of being the main challenger to Jonas Vingegaard for the red jersey when at their best. 

This is because it is uncertain what shape they will be in across a multi-stage race, as neither had done so since their abandons at the Tour de France for Almeida and the Giro d'Italia for Ayuso, respectively.  

However, both will be aiming to make their mark and are handy in a small group scenario. Ayuso will be getting similar vibes to the finish of stage 7 at the Giro d'Italia, where he was victorious from a small group on the Tagliacozzo climb, which had similar characteristics to the climb to Limone Piemonte.

Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) illustrated that he is one of the inform riders heading into this race, with victories at Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa and a stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. The 30-year-old packs a strong punch, and if things come down to a small group sprint or require a late attack in the final kilometre, Ciccone could shine on home soil.

Another home rider who will hope to be in the mix, and whose kick at the finish is somewhat underrated, is Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious). Tiberi's Colombian teammate, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious), could also be in contention on this climb.

This is also a climb that should suit the skillset of Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), who has indicated his goals for the race lie with the GC, but packs a punch on these gradients and could be one to watch if he is still in contact with the front of the race inside the final kilometre. 

Jai Hindley has been named as the team leader for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, but the 2022 Giro d'Italia winner has teammates also capable of being in the mix for this stage in Giulio Pellizzari and Finn Fisher-Black.

Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), among others, will be aiming to keep in check for their general classification ambitions and could feature in the finale.

Beyond the general classification riders, it will be interesting to see if any riders whose sole focus is the stage win will be able to manage the climb. Victor Langellotti (Ineos Grenadiers), in particular, is in great shape after a stage win at the Tour de Pologne. It will be a tough ask, but if the right cards fall into place with a conservative pace from the GC contenders on the climb and fresh legs for the Monegasque, then who knows?

Likewise, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) can never be ruled out completely, as illustrated by his climbing legs throughout 2025, but it would take a lot of things to fall into place for the Dane to come out on top here, particularly as stage 3 is well-suited to his skill set.

Equally, it's not out of the equation that if the right composition of riders gets into the breakaway that they could be allowed to fight for the stage win, as was seen on the second stage of the 2024 Tour de France, won by Kévin Vauquelin in Italy. 

Vuelta a España stage 2 favourites

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Vingegaard
⭐️⭐️ Ciccone, Ayuso, Almeida, Pidcock
⭐️ Langellotti, Tiberi, Buitrago, Bernal, Fisher-Black

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