The end of the season is in sight, but not before one final, three-week showdown is complete in the form of the 2025 Vuelta a España. This year’s varied, challenging and punchy route – which features a team time trial and eleven summit finishes – should mean for some close-fought battles in the general classification. The Vuelta rarely fails to deliver aggressive, unpredictable racing with some of the most interesting narratives of the season written in the final Grand Tour of the year.
Race organisers ASO would have been disappointed not to attract the likes of Tadej Pogačar or Remco Evenepoel to the start of the Vuelta, but the field of climbers at this race is still impressive. Principal among them is Jonas Vingegaard who finished second at the Tour de France a few weeks ago. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider is undoubtedly the main favourite to win the red jersey, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG will hope to pose a challenge with the likes of Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. The rest of the peloton won’t want to let these two teams run away with the general classification either, especially as the Vuelta serves as the final opportunity for many riders to save their seasons.
With this in mind, we take a look at the key contenders for the 2025 edition of the Vuelta a España.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Fresh off his second place at the Tour de France, Visma-Lease a Bike came to the 2025 Vuelta a España with the stand-out favourite in Jonas Vingegaard. The Danish rider has, by some margin compared to his competitors at this race, got the most decorated palmarès when it comes to Grand Tour racing and there is plenty of expectation that comes with this. The steep, long climbs at the Spanish stage race are well-suited to Vingegaard who thrives when the roads kick up – he proved at the Tour that his punch and explosivity has significantly improved this season too. It was in 2023 that the 28-year-old last tried to tackle the Vuelta and he finished in third place following an unprecedented victory by his teammate, Sepp Kuss. It doesn’t look like there will be any disagreements over leadership at the race in 2025, however, with Vingegaard clearly strongest in his team and motivated to add a red jersey to his collection.
Visma-Lease a Bike brings a characteristically strong line-up of domestiques to the Vuelta once again who will be crucial in supporting their GC leader. Matteo Jorgenson is expected to play an important role for Vingegaard in the mountains as he did at the Tour de France in July, Sepp Kuss will also return to the race he won two years ago in service of his leader, and Victor Campenaerts – who impressed with his climbing abilities at the Tour – will be another key rider in the Visma line-up. With the likes of Ben Tulett, Attila Valter and Wilco Keldermann also taking to the start, the Dutch squad look to have the strongest team in the race this year.
Juan Ayuso and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Once again it is the team of UAE Team Emirates-XRG who are expected to pose the biggest challenge to Visma-Lease a Bike, though not with Vingegaard’s usual rival, Tadej Pogačar. Instead, the Vuelta offers a chance for some of the world champion’s teammates to spend some time in the spotlight and we expect the leader of UAE Team Emirates to be Juan Ayuso throughout the Vuelta. The Spanish rider has had a turbulent season so far after he was forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia after crashes and illness, and he also has a chequered past in Grand Tours (he has abandoned the last two he has started.) However, Ayuso has also shown he has potential to win his home race with his podium finish at the Vuelta in 2022 – if things go right for the 22-year-old, there is a chance of a breakthrough, career-best performance on the cards.
However, Ayuso may struggle with potential co-leadership on his team as João Almeida is also an option for UAE Team Emirates. The Portuguese rider was forced to leave the Tour de France early with a broken rib so his current form is relatively unknown, but if he has recovered well enough over the last month then Almeida has shown himself as a strong general classification rider in the past. He won the GC at the Tour de Suisse a few months ago and will not agree to being a domestique for Ayuso if he believes he has his own chance at the Vuelta. Regardless of who their eventual leader is, UAE Team Emirates bring a strong overall line-up to this race with Jay Vine, Marc Soler and Mikkel Bjerg expected to be crucial helpers when it comes to the fight for victory and in the team time trial stage early in the race.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Like a fine wine, Richard Carapaz appears to only be getting better with age – he showed that with his performance at the 2025 Giro d’Italia earlier this season. The EF Education-EasyPost rider won the hearts of fans with his daring, swashbuckling racing style which gave him both a stage victory and third place in the general classification at the Italian Grand Tour. Carapaz exhibited climbing prowess and the type of tactical nous that only comes with his sort of experience in the peloton and he will hope to replicate that at the Vuelta this month. The Ecuadorian rider has finished on the podium in the GC at this race before – in the 2020 edition – which proves that it is a race suited to his strengths. However, Carapaz hasn’t competed since the Giro after being ruled out of the Tour with illness so it is hard to gauge if his form matches that he showed at the start of this season.
Despite not being at the race himself, EF Education-EasyPost’s stand-out performances at the Tour de France will give the American team serious self-belief when it comes to the Vuelta which could play to their advantage. They bring an attacking, aggressive line-up which is sure to try and upset the clinical approach that Visma-Lease a Bike often brings to Grand Tours. A podium place on the GC feels well within Carapaz’s reach, but this is a bike rider who will do his all to try and win.
Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R-La Mondiale)
While he doesn’t have the same Grand Tour racing experience as some of his competitors, Felix Gall of Decathlon AG2R-La Mondiale is expected to still be a crucial part of the general classification fight at the Vuelta. He is coming out of the Tour de France in fine form after taking a fifth place in the GC following his stand-out performances in the third week. For the Austrian rider, who seems to come into his own in the tough back-end of a Grand Tour, it will be a case of not losing time and limiting his losses early on so he can use his fatigue resistance in the final few stages. His performances in the Tour, such as on the stage up the Mûr-de-Bretagne, prove that Gall should not fear the steep gradients he will face in the Spanish hills and that he can rely on his punchy climbing ability to challenge the best. He thrives as the terrain gets more extreme and Decathlon AG2R will be banking on a strong result from Gall in order to finish the French team’s season on a high.
Where the 27-year-old may find himself in trouble is with a lack of team support in the mountains. Decathlon AG2R have so far only announced some young and inexperienced riders as part of their Vuelta roster, so Gall will need to ensure that he is not isolated in the mountains. It will be a case of following the likes of Visma and UAE Team Emirates for Gall, rather than looking to break the race up himself early on.
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Like Gall, Giulio Ciccone is also a dark horse for the general classification at the Vuelta and likely sits in the second tier of GC contenders when compared to the likes of UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike. However, the Lidl-Trek rider has proved to be in impressive form lately with victories at Donostia and the Vuelta a Burgos queen stage. Strong performances on this type of terrain are exactly the signs you want before a Grand Tour and will give the Italian rider confidence heading into the Vuelta. After he was forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia earlier this season due to sickness, Ciccone will have placed all of his efforts on a strong performance at the Vuelta and, if he focuses on the GC rather than gunning for stage victories, he has a strong chance of a podium finish. It will be a case of Ciccone using his aggressive racing style to disrupt the structure of the general classification group, taking time on the terrain that suits him.
Lidl-Trek do come to the Vuelta with mixed ambitions, however, as Mads Pedersen lines up for the American squad on the hunt for stage wins. This means that Ciccone will not have the same type of focused support as other teams with GC contenders as Pedersen is likely to go for stage victories and have riders around him who will support him in that mission. Former Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart is due to start the Vuelta, though, and he will be important to Ciccone in the mountains.
Other contenders to watch
Alongside the main general classification favourites, there are a number of riders who come to the Vuelta with their form relatively unknown. Principle among these is Mikel Landa of Soudal-Quick Step who should have the freedom to ride for GC in his home Grand Tour if he wishes, though the Spaniard is still recovering from his Giro crash – his performance at Burgos showed he is not yet in his top form. For Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, young Italian climber Giulio Pellizzari has shown he has the level to climb with the best so could target a good GC result at the Vuelta, the same can be said for his teammate, 2022 Giro winner Jai Hindley.
Egan Bernal has been steadily returning to his best this year for the Ineos Grenadiers and if his upward trajectory continues at the Vuelta, the Colombian rider has a chance of a podium finish here. His former teammate, Tom Pidcock of Q36.5 Pro Cycling, could also target a strong result overall but it remains to be seen whether the British rider will instead go for stage wins.
Antonio Tiberi will be Bahrain-Victorious’s GC man and will want to improve on his breakout fifth in the 2024 Giro to confirm he’s a face for the future. Likewise Lorenzo Fortunato, fresh off a second place overall at Burgos, could be one to watch for Astana-XDS, though his team may push him towards going for stage victories. Finally, Israel-Premier Tech’s Derek Gee can never be counted out – the Canadian rider is a strong climber who thrives in the tough terrain of Grand Tours.