Feature

The five key stages of the 2025 Vuelta a España

With climbs such as L'Angliru and Bola del Mundo on the horizon, here's a look at some of the stages that all the teams and riders will have marked in their diaries.

Primož Roglič - 2023 - Vuelta a España stage 17
Cor Vos

The 2025 Vuelta a España route organisers have pulled no punches when it comes to designing an unforgiving edition with 11 summit finishes packed into 21 stages across 4 countries. 

Here is a look at five stages that could prove to be most important in the battle for the red jersey in the 80th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour.

The full stage by stage guide can be found here.

Five stages where the race can be won?

Stage Number Route Distance (km) Elevation Gain (m)

Stage 6

Olot - Pal.Andorra

171

3,475

Stage 7

Andorra la Vella.Andorra - Cerler.Huesca La Magia

187

4,311

Stage 13

Cabezón de la Sal to L'Angliru

202

3,964

Stage 14

Avilés - La Farrapona.Lagos de Somiedo

135

3,805

Stage 20

Robledo de Chavela - Bola del Mundo

159

4,226

Stage 6 | Olot - Pal.Andorra (171km) - Mountain

Stage 6 is the first major mountain stage of the 2025 Vuelta, and takes the riders back out of Spain for a summit finish in Andorra. 

There's no respite with an uphill start on the Collada de Sentigosa (Category 3), a lengthy climb at 11.4km with an average gradient of 4.1%. The climb should serve as the setting for the initial fight for the breakaway, where, naturally, the stronger climbers will come to the fore. 

Following a short descent and plateau, the more significant Collada de Toses (Category 1) awaits. The official categorisation of the climb is 24.3km with an average gradient of 3.5%. However, there are steeper sections of the climb, which will ignite the fatigue in the legs of the riders, earning the climb it's category 1 status. The summit is over 100km from the finish, so the climb shouldn't see any major GC action, but it will still hurt the legs of many.

With around 45km to go, the peloton will enter Andorra and approach the foot of the short, but steep La Comella (Category 2) climb. At the summit, only a small descent awaits before the riders head back uphill towards the summit finish at Pal.Andorra (Category 1), 9.6km at 6.3%. The climb featured in the 2023 edition, where Remco Evenepoel won from a reduced group sprint before crashing shortly after the finish line.

Key info

Start time - 12:35 (CET)
Expected Arrival - 17:16 (CET)

Climbs 

Collada de Sentigosa - 11.4km at 4.1% (Category 3)
Collada de Toses - 24.3km at 3.5% (Category 1)
La Comella - 4.2km at 8% (Category 2)
Pal.Andorra - 9.6km at 6.3% (Category 1)

Foreign countries visited in 2025 Vuelta a España

Country Stage/s

Italy

1,2,3,4

France

4

Andorra

6, 7

Stage 7 | Andorra la Vella-Andorra - Cerler-Huesca La Magia (187km) - Mountain

Back-to-back mountain stages await the riders, and this route is more mountainous than the previous day. 

Beginning in Andorra, the route returns to Spain after only 6.3km before reaching the foot of the first climb, 13.2km into the stage. The Port del Canto (Category 1) is one of the longest categorised climbs of the 2025 edition, with 24.7km with an average gradient of 4.4%. It's a climb which has been used multiple times in the last decade at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, including in 2024 on a stage won by Tadej Pogačar.

The climbs of Creu de Perves, 5.7km at 6.3% and La Espina, 7.1km at 5.5%, both Category 2, make up the middle portion of the stage, helping to accumulate the climbing metres in the stage, before a second consecutive tough summit finish.

Compared to the previous stage finish, the 12.1km climb to Cerler is very inconsistent in its nature, which skews its difficulty when looking at the average gradient of 5.8%. There are plenty of sections of the climb which are much steeper than 5.8% but also some plateaus and even short descents, which will make things harder for the riders to find a consistent rhythm throughout.

Key info

Start time - 11:55 (CET)
Expected Arrival - 17:13 (CET)

Climbs

Port del Cantó - 24.7km at 4.4% (Category 1)
Creu de Perves - 5.7km at 6.3% (Category 2)
La Espina - 7.1km at 5.5% (Category 2)
Cerler - 12.1km at 5.8% (Category 1)

Stage 13 | Cabezón de la Sal to L'Angliru (202km) - Mountain

With the presence of L'Angliru, stage 13 will have drawn more attention than any other when the route was first revealed. However, the stage has a lot more on offer than just the mythical climb, and in reality, that's a scary prospect, not least the fact, it's the longest stage of the 2025 edition. 

The first 140km of the stage are mainly flat, which may come as a surprise to some, but the final 60km are arguably the hardest of the entire Vuelta. 

Before L'Angliru, two Category 1 climbs await. Firstly, the Alto de la Mozqueta, which is 6.3km at 8.4% with its summit 49.1km from the finish line. This is followed by the Alto del Cordal, which is shorter at 5.5% but slightly steeper at 8.8%. The summit of the Alto del Cordal is just 21.1km from the finish, meaning there will be little recovery time before the start of L'Angliru.

L'Angliru has earned its mythical status due to some of the iconic performances on its slopes of 12.4km, which average 9.7%, however, this doesn't paint the full picture. The climb is nasty in its offerings, with savage ramps which reach well over 20% and sustain these super steep gradients for a length of time that no rider will be thankful for.  

Jonas Vingegaard was present when the climb last featured at the Vuelta, rolling across the line in 2nd alongside teammate Primož Roglič. Vingegaard's teammate and race leader, Sepp Kuss 3rd on the day, but the Dane will no doubt be aiming to seal the victory this time around. A typically strong performance from the Dane on this stage could go a long way in his bid for a first Grand Tour GC victory outside of the Tour de France.

Key info

Start time - 11:50 (CET)
Expected Arrival - 17:14 (CET)

Climbs

Alto de la Mozqueta - 6.3km at 8.4% (Category 1)
Alto del Cordal - 5.5km at 8.8% (Category 1)
Alto de L’Angliru - 12.4km at 9.7% (Category HC)

Previous Vuelta stage winners atop L'Angliru

Year Stage Rider Team Final GC position

1999

8

José María Jiménez

Banesto

5th

2000

16

Gilberto Simoni

Lampre-Daikin

29th

2002

15

Roberto Heras

US Postal Service

2nd

2008

13

Alberto Contador

Astana

1st

2011

15

Juan José Cobo - Later stripped of result in 2019

Geox-TMC Transformers

1st - Later stripped of result in 2019

2013

20

Kenny Elissonde

FDJ.fr

33rd

2017

20

Alberto Contador

Trek-Segafredo

5th

2020

12

Hugh Carthy

EF Pro Cycling

3rd

2023

17

Primož Roglič

Jumbo-Visma

3rd

Stage 14 | Avilés - La Farrapona.Lagos de Somiedo (135km) - Mountain

There were very few points of recovery in the closing 60km of stage 13, and this is compounded by the fact that stage 14 is another stern route for the riders. 

The main difference between the two profiles is that stage 14 is significantly shorter, standing 135km in length, and the amount of elevation gain is more compact. 

Similarly, the stage increases in difficulty as the kilometres tick by, with the opening half mainly flat. The tension should begin to build tenfold after the Category 3 Alto del Tenebreo, where the road begins to rise towards the first of two Category 1 climbs.

First is the Puerto San Lorenzo, which comfortably earns its status as a long and steep ascent, standing at 10.1km with an average gradient of 8.5%.

The final climb up to Farrapona is categorised as 16.9km, which is significantly longer than the San Lorenzo climb, and with a shallower average gradient of 5.9%. However, the second half of the climb is much steeper than the 5.9% gradient suggests, and major differences could be made in the GC, with fatigue surely a consequence after a series of tough stages.

David Gaudu was victorious on the last finish atop La Farrapona, defeating Marc Soler in a close battle to the line. It was the first of two stage victories for the Frenchman in that edition of the race. 

Key info

Start time - 13:30 (CET)
Expected Arrival - 17:13 (CET)

Climbs

Alto del Tenebreo - 5.8km at 6.5% (Category 3)
San Lorenzo - 10.1km at 8.5% (Category 1)
Farrapona - 16.9km at 5.9% (Category 1)

Stage 20 | Robledo de Chavela - Bola del Mundo (159km) - Mountain

Since its move to the Autumn positioning on the calendar 30 years ago, the Vuelta has been seen as the 'last chance saloon' of the Grand Tours, and this stage is in essence essentially that in terms of the 2025 edition. 

With a plethora of mountain stages beforehand, and one stand-out favourite on the startlist in Jonas Vingegaard, it's possible that the fight for the red jersey could be an afterthought at this point. However, if not, stage 20 has all the hallmarks to play a major role in shaping the discourse of this Vuelta.

The stage begins with two Category 3 climbs, which pail in significance in terms of their difficulties compared with what's to come, but they could be important in shaping the breakaway on a day where many will be hoping to turn their Vuelta into a major success with a stage win on an epic mountain.

There is a sequence of increasing difficulty as the climbs go on, with the Category 2 Alto del León, 7km at 7.3%, the next test to contend with. Following the summit of this climb, there's a prolonged stretch of 60km with little climbing, which will be a relief for many. 

Things change with just shy of 60km to go, at the foot of the Category 1 Puerto de Navacerrada, 6.9km at 7.6%. It's the first of two ascents of the climb awaiting the riders, however, there is a cruel twist on the latter. 

The final summit finish of the 2025 Vuelta will see the riders take on the Puerto de Navacerrada again, but once reaching the summit of the original slopes, the climb continues towards Bola del Mundo. From here on in, the climb becomes only steeper and reaches an even higher altitude. The final 3.2km averages 12.2% and sits over 2,200 metres above sea level, where significant differences can be made across the GC. 

Key info

Start time - 13:00 (CET)
Expected Arrival - 17:17 (CET)

Climbs

La Escondida - 9km at 4.1% (Category 3)
La Paradilla - 5.8km at 5.4% (Category 3)
Alto del León - 7km at 7.3% (Category 2)
Puerto de Navacerrada - 6.9km at 7.6% (Category 1)
Bola Del Mundo - 12.3km at 8.6% (Category 1)

Vuelta a España stage 20 winners since 2020

Year Rider Team Final GC position

2024

Eddie Dunbar

Team Jayco AlUla

11th

2023

Wout Poels

Bahrain-Victorious

15th

2022

Richard Carapaz

Ineos Grandiers

13th

2021

Clément Champoussin

AG2R Citroën Team

31st

2020

N/A (Only 18 stages)

N/A

N/A

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