Jonas Vingegaard reignited the Vuelta a España with a stinging attack on stage 9, winning solo at Valdezcaray to claim his second victory of the race and slash his deficit to race leader Torstein Træen to just 37 seconds. After a week of defensive riding and lingering doubts about his form, the Dane showed he is back at full strength, reshaping the general classification in the process.
How the stage unfolded
The 171km stage into the Valdezcaray ski station began in typical Vuelta fashion, with a fierce battle to form the day’s breakaway. Eventually, a small group of five riders escaped, far fewer than expected on a day thought to favour attackers. With no major GC threat up the road, Visma-Lease a Bike initially stayed quiet, expecting the move to fight for the stage win. However, Lidl-Trek and Q36.5 were unwilling to let the opportunity slip and set about controlling the gap.
As the kilometres ticked by, the peloton kept the escape on a short leash, ensuring they were reeled in at the foot of the final climb. The 13.3km ascent to Valdezcaray, averaging 5% but flattening after an early steep section, was not considered selective enough for big time gaps. The expectation was for a reduced sprint from the favourites.
That plan evaporated when Vingegaard called for a lead-out on team radio. Matteo Jorgenson surged to the front and launched his leader just as the gradient stiffened in the trees. Only Giulio Ciccone could follow, but the Italian soon cracked, leaving the Dane alone with more than 10km to go. “I thought it was closer to the finish when I attacked,” Vingegaard later admitted, “but I had the gap and had to keep going.”
Behind, João Almeida tried to salvage the situation but found himself isolated, shouting in frustration as his teammates faded. Tom Pidcock latched onto his wheel, the pair working together only loosely as the gap stabilised. Almeida’s repeated accelerations could not bring Vingegaard back, and Pidcock admitted he had little to give until the final kilometre.
Felix Gall briefly clung to Almeida’s pace before slipping back, while most of the GC contenders cracked earlier and rolled in closer to two minutes down. Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard’s own teammate and former winner of the Vuelta, lost time, while UAE endured a disastrous day with Juan Ayuso conceding over 20 minutes.
At the finish, Vingegaard crossed the line grimy from the rain but jubilant, 24 seconds ahead of Almeida and Pidcock. Gall followed at 1:02, while Ciccone drifted in nearly two minutes back after his failed attempt to hold the Dane’s wheel.
Photo Credit: Getty
The reaction
The victory marked Vingegaard’s 40th career success and confirmed that his legs are back after a cautious first week. “I felt fantastic throughout the entire stage today,” he said. “On the final climb, I gave the signal to my teammates to launch me. They did it in an impressive way. I’m incredibly happy to finish it off like this.”
Almeida admitted surprise at the move. “They got a bit of the surprise factor, we were not expecting it. I was in a good position, but they went really hard, and I couldn’t close the gap. Nobody was with me in the end today. It is what it is.”
Pidcock, meanwhile, was delighted with his second place, which lifted him to fourth overall. “Jonas is Jonas, and you shouldn’t give him a gap. Almeida was like a tractor on that flatter section, and I could just come round him at the finish. Today definitely gives me confidence going into the harder stages.”
For Visma, sports director Grischa Niermann confirmed it had been an instinctive call by their leader: “The plan was to be defensive, but Jonas asked to be launched. He told the guys to speed up where it was steepest, because later he couldn’t make the difference. It was Jonas’ initiative, and it was a very good move.”
The Dane’s sudden return to attacking form has left his rivals with little margin for error heading into the second week. If he can open gaps on a relatively benign climb like Valdezcaray, the looming Angliru and La Farrapona will be a far sterner test for those hoping to deny him a third red jersey.
Photo Credit: Cor Vos
2025 Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 result
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Main photo credit: Cor Vos