The Andorra Cycling Masters race will take place Sunday with Pogačar, Vingegard, Roglič, Del Toro … and no one else.
Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic, Isaac Del Toro and Jonas Vingegaard will go head to head in the Andorra Cycling Masters 2025 (photos: Getty Images)
Updated October 18, 2025 01:33PM
Sunday sees the inaugural edition of pro cycling’s quirkiest race: a bizarre new experiment in the cycling sanctuary of Andorra.
Increasingly favored by pro riders who want to live at altitude, to be surrounded by mountains and to sidestep high taxes, the principality is fully leaning into its cycling identity with the most bizarre race in the sport.
Forget large pelotons and the help of superteams: Sunday’s Andorra Cycling Masters will feature just four riders.
But what matters is that they are four of the biggest names in pro cycling.
The top dog is Tadej Pogačar, who pulled off the Tour de France-world road race championship double for the second year running, ran riot in many other events and clocked up a staggering 20 wins in 50 days of competition.
Tour arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard will be there, trying to shrug off an anonymous showing in the recent European road championships and to rediscover into his Vuelta a España-winning form.
Five time Grand Tour winner Primož Roglič is lining out and also hoping to rediscover his best legs, while Pogačar’s UAE Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro is looking to add to the sixteen wins he has clocked up in what is only his second pro season.
“Four champions, head-to-head, no teams, no excuses,” is how it is being billed.
Will there be fireworks? You bet.
’A historic competition’
Jonas Vingegaard will seek to score a psychological blow against Tadej Pogačar on Sunday, but it won’t be easy (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Details are surprisingly scarce but coaxing four of the world’s best riders to the race isn’t just about a fun trip to Andorra and the chance of some cheap duty free goods.
The organizers wouldn’t confirm details to Velo Saturday about prizemoney or appearance fees, but it’s likely each rider is being well rewarded for their participation.
But with no plans to televise the events live, the project might appear a little mystifying. Yet that’s where another quirk comes into play. The aim isn’t to get loads of eyes on race coverage: there is a much bigger picture in mind than that.
Forget a couple of hours of live TV: think instead of a deeper dive at a later date which will aim to show the human side of each rider, and will likely showcase much of the scenery and character of Andorra itself.
This will be, the organizers proclaim, “a historic competition for world cycling that will transcend sport to become an international docushow.
“The protagonists, leading figures of modern cycling, will reveal both their competitive and personal sides in an innovative format that combines sport, emotion and audiovisual storytelling.”
The project is supported by IPG Mediabrands Entertainment, which manages over $47 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of its clients. Also involved are Spanish audiovisual production company Wakai (WAP Media Group).
Think megabucks: think an international streaming platform which, for now, remains anonymous.
Velo has been told more details will be revealed after Sunday’s races.
A behind the scenes view of riders and their families
Primož Roglic had one of his best performances ever in the Volta a Cataluña. Can he hit the same sort of form for this end of season race? (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
So what is on the agenda?
Pogačar, Vingegaard, Roglič and Del Toro will clash in two events.
At 9am Sunday morning the four riders will go head to head against the clock in an uphill time trial on the Coll de la Gallina. It is 8.23km in length and will see them gain more than 750 meters in altitude.
Then at 11am the quartet will compete in a 32 kilometer urban criterium based in the center of Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany.
The victory will be based on points accrued in sprints on each of the 15 laps, with that total plus the time trial times settling the general classification.
Vuelta a España organizer Unipublic will be calculating that outcome.
However Betim Budzaku, general manager of the Andorra Tourist Board and one of those behind the project, described the winner as ‘mainly symbolic.’ He said the big priority is having a spectacular event and then communicating that far and wide via the documentary.
“From the moment they arrive in Andorra until they return home, the riders will be filmed with their families,” told Het Nieuwsblad.
“This way, fans can see the human side of the riders and learn how they prepare for such races. The idea is to let people see a race from a different perspective.”
He confirmed that they also sought the participation of Remco Evenepoel, but that this ultimately proved impossible due to a schedule conflict.
Still, they have four top names and the makings of an intriguing behind-the-scenes documentary.
The concept may be highly unusual but, considering the caliber of the riders and the clout of those behind the project, this could be a big success.
We’ll all just have to wait a few weeks to see it.