From the 5th to the 9th of August we have on the road what is potentially the single most important preparation race ahead of the Vuelta a España. The Vuelta a Burgos takes the riders through the hilly and mountainous terrain necessary to prepare for the final Grand Tour of the season whilst also helping the riders adapting to the weather conditions. We preview stage 1.
The race starts off as usual with a finale in Burgos, an explosive one that fits quite a lot of riders and can provide surprises. Stage 1 is the longest day of the race and a rolling one, beginning in the town of Olmillos de Sasamón.
The riders don’t face a lot of climbing throughout the day but the final hour of racing will see quite a few hilltops where the pace will be high and difficult to follow. The fight for positioning into the final climb will be intense and on rolling roads.
The finale into the city castle is an iconic one in the race, averaging 900 meters at 5% but maximum gradients that are quite superior to that. We could see a sprint between puncheurs and the GC riders but a late attack can also succeed as it has in the past.
Stage 1: Olmillos de Sasamón – Burgos (Castillo), 204.6 kilometers
UAE is the main favourite to win the overall classification but I would also say it’s the same case for the opening stage of the race. It’s not a ‘team to beat’ situation but Isaac del Toro is very explosive and can win both with a late attack and a sprint, Alessandro Covi can win any punchy finish if he has the legs with this field and even in a conservative finale Juan Sebastián Molano would stand a good chance.
Prediction Vuelta a Burgos 2025 stage 1:
*** Isaac del Toro, Alessandro Covi
** Giulio Ciccone, Andreas Kron, Jon Barrenetxea
* Roger Adrià, Lukas Nerurkar, Fabio Christen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Jordan Labrosse, Javier Romo
Pick: Alessandro Covi
How: Reduced group sprint
Original: Rúben Silva