Vuelta a España 2025: route analysis, key stages and riders to watch

Mathew Mitchell

Published on August 23, 2025
in Men's Cycling

The 2025 Vuelta a España is set to be a climber’s Grand Tour, with ten summit finishes, two time trials and barely a flat day across its three weeks. Beginning on Saturday, 23rd August in Turin, the 80th edition of the race ventures through Italy and France before heading to northern Spain and Andorra, where the red jersey battle will truly unfold.

2025 Vuelta a España to begin in Piemonte with mountain test at Limone Piemonte The 2025 Vuelta a España will begin in Piemonte, Italy, marking the first time the Spanish Grand Tour starts in the cycling-rich nation. The announcement, made in Turin, confirmed three stages in the region, including a mountain finish on stage 2 at Limone Piemonte, before the race transitions to France and eventually returns to Spain. Scheduled to start on 23rd August 2025, this year’s Vuelta coincides with the race’s 90th anniversary. Turin will join Utrecht as one of only two cities to host the Grand Depart for all three Grand Tours. Stefano Lo Russo, mayor of Turin, described the event as "a proud moment for our city," while race director Javier Guillén highlighted Piemonte’s historical importance to cycling, calling it "a region that has been essential in shaping the sport’s legacy." The race opens with a 183km route from Venaria Reale to Novara. A lone Category 3 climb at the Puerto Bienca-Tomalino occurs too far from the finish to influence the expected sprint finale. Stage 2 begins in Alba and concludes on the steep gradients of the Puerto Limonte after a 10km climb, offering climbers their first test. Stage 3 spans 139km between San Maurizio Canavese and Ceres, with the Category 2 Puerto Issiglio promising an attacking race. Stage 4 will depart from Susa near the French border, with details of the finish still under wraps. The complete route will be unveiled in Madrid on 19th December, with organisers hinting at stage finishes in Andorra and the brutal Angliru climb later in the race. The decision to begin in Italy reflects La Vuelta’s growing international focus. Guillén noted that this will be only the sixth foreign start for the race, following locations like Lisbon and Utrecht. The 2026 edition is already set to start in Monaco. Piemonte, a regular host of cycling’s biggest events, further cements its reputation with this announcement. Recent highlights include Biniam Girmay’s victory in Turin during the 2024 Tour de France. The region’s connection to La Vuelta runs deep, with Italian riders securing 187 stage wins and six overall victories in the race’s history. Guillén summarised the sentiment behind the Italian Grand Depart: "Starting La Vuelta in Piemonte not only showcases a beautiful region but honours the shared history of cycling in Italy and Spain."

The race ends in Madrid on 14th September, but only after a punishing route stacked with high-altitude challenges. The Angliru and Bola del Mundo headline the climbs, while a team time trial and a late individual time trial provide key tests for GC hopefuls. Jonas Vingegaard and Juan Ayuso start as big favourites, with João Almeida and Giulio Ciccone also expected to feature. For Spain’s Mikel Landa, this Vuelta is as much about testing his recovery and aiming for stage wins as it is about GC.

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A demanding opening in Italy and France

The Vuelta begins with three hilly days in Piemonte. Stage 1 to Novara could see the sprinters fight for the first red jersey, but the terrain is not straightforward. Stage 2 to Limone Piemonte ends uphill, offering the first chance to see GC riders test each other, while stage 3 into Ceres features over 2,000m of climbing.

Stage 4 takes the peloton into France over the Col du Lautaret before finishing in Voiron. This will encourage breakaway specialists and all-rounders, while GC teams focus on conserving energy ahead of Spain. Once across the border, the first big test arrives with a 20km team time trial in Figueres on stage 5. Stronger, more balanced squads could take crucial seconds here, a risk for climbers backed by lighter teams.

Summit finishes to shape the GC

Stage 6 is the first real GC battle, ending atop Pal in Andorra, a 9.6km climb at 6.3%. The following day, stage 7, is one of the hardest of the entire race, with over 4,200m of elevation gain and a finish at Cerler. With the Port del Cantó and multiple steep climbs, this could expose weaknesses early.

Stages 9 and 10 bring further summit finishes at Valdezcaray and Larra Belagua, the latter a climb where Remco Evenepoel won in 2023. Stage 11 in Bilbao will be one for the puncheurs, featuring Alto del Vivero and Alto de Pike, climbs last used in the 2023 Tour de France Grand Départ. Riders like Tom Pidcock or Matteo Jorgenson could excel here.

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Stage 13 brings the Angliru back into the race, one of the steepest climbs in pro cycling, followed immediately by another brutal mountain finish at La Farrapona on stage 14. These back-to-back stages will be decisive for riders like Vingegaard, Ayuso and Almeida.

The third week continues the climbing theme with the Alto de El Morredero on stage 17, a punishing ascent averaging 9.7%. Stage 18 in Valladolid is the only individual time trial: 27.2km of flat roads where time trial specialists like Almeida, Vingegaard and even Geraint Thomas could take big gains.

The race’s penultimate stage to Bola del Mundo on stage 20 is the ultimate sting in the tail. After five categorised climbs, riders face a brutal final 3km at over 12%, the highest point of the race. With the GC still in play, it could be the most decisive day of all.

Limited opportunities for sprinters

Sprinters will find few chances in this Vuelta. Stage 1, Zaragoza on stage 8, and Guijuelo on stage 19 are the main opportunities, plus the Madrid finale. Jasper Philipsen is expected to lead the sprint field, with Bryan Coquard, Elia Viviani, Ethan Vernon and Jake Stewart among his rivals. Mads Pedersen, riding an alternative season, will also target these rolling sprint stages, aiming to complete a rare Grand Tour points jersey hat-trick for Lidl-Trek.

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Vuelta a España 2025 stages

Stage	Date	Start	Finish	Distance	Type
1	23 Aug	Torino-Reggia di Venaria (Italy)	Novara	186.1km	Hilly
2	24 Aug	Alba	Puerto Limone	159.6km	Hilly
3	25 Aug	San Maurizio Canavese	Ceres	134.6km	Hilly
4	26 Aug	Susa	Voiron (France)	206.7km	Hilly
5	27 Aug	Figueres (Spain)	Figueres	24.1km	Team time trial
6	28 Aug	Olot	Pal (Andorra)	170.3km	Mountains
7	29 Aug	Andorra la Vella	Huesca	188km	Mountains
8	30 Aug	Monzón Templario	Zaragoza	163.5km	Flat
9	31 Aug	Alfaro	Estación de Esquí de Valdezcaray	195.5km	Mountains
10	2 Sept	Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva	El Ferial Larra Belagua	175.3km	Mountains
11	3 Sept	Bilbao	Bilbao	157.4km	Hilly
12	4 Sept	Laredo	Los Corrales de Buelna	144.9km	Hilly
13	5 Sept	Cabezón de la Sal	L’Angliru	202.7km	Mountains
14	6 Sept	Avilés	Alto de la Farrapona	135.9km	Mountains
15	7 Sept	Vegadeo	Monforte de Lemos	167.8km	Hilly
16	9 Sept	Poio	Mos	167.9km	Hilly
17	10 Sept	O Barco de Valdeorras	Alto de El Morredero	143.2km	Mountains
18	11 Sept	Valladolid	Valladolid	27.2km	Individual time trial
19	12 Sept	Rueda	Guijuelo	161.9km	Flat
20	13 Sept	Robledo de Chavela	Bola del Mundo	165.6km	Mountains
21	14 Sept	Alalpardo	Madrid	111.6km	Flat

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A race for the climbers

The 2025 Vuelta a España is uncompromising: ten summit finishes, two crucial time trials, and relentless terrain that will reward the best all-round climber. Jonas Vingegaard will seek to add another Grand Tour to his palmarès, Ayuso will aim to claim Spain’s first home win since 2009, and Almeida, Ciccone and Bernal are all contenders for the podium.

With so many punishing climbs and a sting in the tail at Bola del Mundo, the race looks likely to remain undecided until the very last weekend in Madrid.